Australia Migration Changes 2026: Budget, Burke's Reform Package and What Comes Next

Australia’s 2026 immigration changes came in three waves: the 12 May Budget, which kept the permanent program at 185,000 but shifted places towards employer-sponsored and onshore applicants; the 1 July fee and threshold increases; and Minister Tony Burke’s 17 September reform package, part of which (the student visa reforms) took effect on 2 October. Several other measures have been announced but are not yet law. This page sets out what is in force and what is still to come, as of 11 October 2026.

Key points

• Program size: 185,000 permanent places for 2026–27, unchanged, with 129,590 set aside for people already in Australia.
• Biggest shifts: employer-sponsored places up from 44,000 to 58,040; 189 places up from 16,900 to 21,090; Regional places down from 33,000 to 14,110; Parent places down from 8,500 to 7,060.
• In force: about 25% higher visa fees (1 July), new CSIT and SSIT (1 July), new skilled processing order (19 September), student visa reforms (2 October).
• Announced only: visitor visa No Further Stay condition, working holiday year-two and year-three ballots, no new family on graduate visas, and a new points test.
• Net overseas migration forecasts: 245,000 in 2026–27 and 225,000 in 2027–28.

2026 timeline at a glance

Date	Change	Status (11 Oct 2026)
1 Mar 2026	485 visa charge doubled to AUD 4,600	In force (since increased again)
12 May 2026	Budget sets 2026–27 program at 185,000 places	Program set
3 Jun 2026	Luxembourg 462 applicants no longer need a letter of support	In force
4 Jun 2026	SkillSelect round: 10,000 subclass 189 invitations	Done
1 Jul 2026	Most visa charges up about 25%; citizenship fees indexed; CSIT/TSMIT AUD 79,423 and SSIT AUD 146,576; 417 age limit raised to 35 for Cyprus, Finland, Germany and Korea	In force
17 Sep 2026	Burke National Press Club reform package	Mixed (see below)
19 Sep 2026	Ministerial Directions 121 and 122 replace MD 119 for skilled visa processing	In force
2 Oct 2026	Most student visas: no new family members; most applications must be lodged outside Australia	In force

The 2026–27 Migration Program

Announced on 12 May 2026, the planning levels keep the total at 185,000 with a roughly 70:30 skill-to-family split. The mix inside the skill stream changed sharply:

Category	2025–26	2026–27	Change
Employer Sponsored	44,000	58,040	+32%
Skilled Independent (189)	16,900	21,090	+25%
State/Territory Nominated (190)	33,000	35,500	+8%
Regional (including 491)	33,000	14,110	−57%
Talent and Innovation	5,300	3,500	−34%
Partner (indicative)	40,500	41,500	+2%
Parent	8,500	7,060	−17%
Total	185,000	185,000	0%

The government says an onshore-focused program supports faster transitions to permanent residence and reduces the program’s effect on net overseas migration. For what this means for individual pathways, see our Australian PR pathways guide.

On SkillSelect, the most recent round shown on the Home Affairs invitation rounds page as of 11 October 2026 was 4 June 2026, with 10,000 invitations for the 189.

1 July: fees and thresholds

The Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026 raised visa charges from 1 July. Examples from the Home Affairs pricing table: Student visa AUD 2,500 (was AUD 2,000), Skills in Demand AUD 4,015 (was AUD 3,210), 485 AUD 5,750, and partner visas AUD 11,710. The same regulations set the temporary skilled migration income threshold at AUD 79,423. Home Affairs lists the Core Skills Income Threshold as AUD 79,423 and the Specialist Skills Income Threshold as AUD 146,576 for nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. Full tables are in our Australia visa fees 2026 guide.

17 September: the Burke reform package

In a National Press Club speech, the Minister set out changes grouped as “who arrives, who stays and who leaves”. The Home Affairs policy changes page says they “will be progressively rolled out over the next 12 months”.

Measure	What was announced	Status (11 Oct 2026)
Student visas	No new family members for most students; stop onshore “visa hopping”	In force from 2 Oct 2026
Skilled processing priorities	Update MD 119 to prioritise healthcare, construction, education, law enforcement, defence, resources, agriculture, aquaculture and fishing	In force from 19 Sep 2026 (MD 121 and MD 122)
Graduate visas (485)	No new family members, with exceptions such as Pacific, ASEAN and PhD	Announced only
Visitor visas	No Further Stay condition on all future visitor visas (not for protection claims); no effect on people already here	Announced only
Working Holiday Makers	Ballots for year two (45,000) and year three (5,000); regional work still required; processing stabilised at about three months	Announced only (processing normalisation under way)
Points test	Redesigned with Treasury; housing trades to score like a university qualification	Announced only
Migration agents	Crackdown on agents who knowingly lodge applications without merit	Announced only
Character (MD 110)	Update to better protect child victims of crime and victims of family violence, and to combat hate	Announced only
Compliance	Stronger measures so people without valid visas leave	Announced only

The Minister also said an expression-of-interest system for demand-driven visas would need legislation, which the government does not currently have. Treat that as not proceeding for now.

19 September: new skilled processing order

According to Home Affairs, MD 121 (482 visas) and MD 122 (provisional and permanent skilled visas such as 186, 189, 190, 491 and 494) replaced MD 119 on 19 September 2026. Both put applications in construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, resources, law enforcement and defence first. Under MD 121, the Specialist Skills stream comes next, then onshore applicants. Under MD 122, onshore applicants come straight after the priority sectors. Offshore applicants applying alone come before other applications.

2 October: student visa reforms

From 2 October 2026, according to the Student visa page, most Student visa applicants can no longer include partners or children, and family cannot join later as subsequent entrants. Most applications must be lodged outside Australia. Holders of visas including the 417, 462, 482 and 485 cannot apply for a Student visa onshore. Exemptions include PhD students and citizens of Pacific Island and ASEAN countries. Applications lodged before 2 October are assessed under the old rules. Our explainer on the October 2026 student visa changes covers who is exempt.

What to watch next

• Start dates for the visitor No Further Stay condition, WHM ballots, 485 family limit and the new points test. These will need legal instruments, which we will report on our updates page.
• The next SkillSelect round, the first of the 2026–27 program year.
• State nomination allocations for 190 and 491, given the lower Regional planning level.

If one of these changes affects a decision you are about to make, such as travelling on a visitor visa or lodging a family application, get advice from a registered migration agent first. See the Australia hub for all our Australian guides.

This article is general information, not legal advice. It reflects official information available on 11 October 2026.