News

The May Budget indicated that visa application charges are expected to generate increasing revenue over the forward estimates, rising from $4.7 billion to over $7 billion. The 25% increase announced for most visa application charges on 1 July 2027, indicates that the Government is aggressively pursuing this target. The Government’s focus moving into this new financial year is stated as seeking to reform the permanent migration to identify migrants who drive productivity and Australia’s long‑term prosperity.

From 1 July 2025, a number of income thresholds relevant to meeting visa requirements across a range of visa subclasses increased by 4.6%, in line with changes to the annual Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE).

The Government has introduced changes and updates to employer-linked and independent skilled visas. These include:

A new temporary Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa – the SID visa
Changes to sponsor obligations
Changes to certain requirements under the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa

Three-tiered Skills in Demand Visa and the National Innovation Visa.
This brief details immigration changes, expected to be implemented before the end of 2024, consistent with the roadmap – the Migration Strategy Action Plan.

In a joint press release, the Minister for Home Affairs and the Minister for Immigration have announced that from 2 September 2023, the Pandemic Event visa pathway will be closed to new applicants who do not currently hold a Pandemic Event visa.

Further detail has been released ahead of the budget aimed at providing more certainty to Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa holders and their employers – the ultimate goal is to alleviate skills shortages by ensuring a permanent employer sponsored pathway is available for a wider range of occupations.