Investment NSW will invite skilled migrants to apply for the Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa in early March, urging candidates to update SkillSelect profiles by 1 March 2026. The invitation round, scheduled for the first week of March, will target eligible applicants seeking nomination from NSW under its Skilled Migration Program. Authorities said invitations will…
Australian Border Force officers have detained four high-priority unlawful non-citizens in Far North Queensland during a major operation targeting migrant exploitation, visa fraud and criminal syndicates profiting from illegal labour. The operation, led by the Department of Home Affairs, focused on immigration non-compliance and the abuse of vulnerable migrant workers, particularly those engaged under the…
The government has passed a bill allowing visa reviews to be decided ‘on the papers’ without oral hearings. The changes aim to speed up tribunal processes and formalise paper-based decision-making. The Administrative Review Tribunal and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 amends two key laws to streamline decision-making. The Bill expands the Administrative Review Tribunal Act…
Australia’s migration regulator has barred a registered migration agent for five years after finding serious misconduct that undermined the integrity of the migration system. The Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) cancelled the agent’s registration on 9 January 2026 following an investigation into multiple breaches of professional obligations. OMARA found the agent lodged…
NSW has closed Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa Pathways 1 and 3 to new applications after reaching its full allocation for the program year ending 30 June 2026. The application portals for Pathway 1 – Work in Regional NSW and Pathway 3 – Regional NSW Graduate are no longer accepting new lodgements. State migration…
NSW has opened nominations for Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa Pathways 1 and 3 today, 19 January, warning that limited places may close quickly once allocations are filled. Investment NSW confirmed applications are now open for the 2025–26 program year, with nominations subject to strict caps under the state’s allocation (1,500 places) from the…
Engineers Australia warns Australia needs more engineers as hotter temperatures, bushfire danger and growing pressure on infrastructure threaten communities this summer. Decades of warming, dry conditions and expanding urban density are heightening risks to buildings, transport networks and communities near bushfire-prone areas. In response, Engineers Australia urges governments to prioritise engineering-led planning and design, warning…
An AI-powered pilot led by VETASSESS aims to speed up Recognition of Prior Learning, helping skilled workers secure formal qualifications sooner and easing workforce shortages. VETASSESS, a division of Bendigo Kangan Institute, has launched the pilot in partnership with the Victorian Government and TAFE network. The initiative tests how artificial intelligence (AI) can modernise the…
VETASSESS overhauled professional skills assessment processes from 01 December 2025, introducing new processing times, identity rules and outcome terminology for migration applicants. By the Numbers VETASSESS confirmed the changes will apply only to professional occupations and will not affect trade assessments. The authority said the updates aim to improve consistency, transparency and turnaround times. Under…
Australia’s net migration fell to just over 305,000 last financial year, as political debate turns from immigration numbers to the values and beliefs expected of new arrivals. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Thursday that net overseas migration (NOM), the difference between arrivals and departures, dropped 6,000 from the previous year and 250,000 below…