Australia has announced changes affecting student families, visitor visas, Working Holiday Makers, skilled migration and visa overstayers, with several details still to be confirmed. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced the measures at the National Press Club on 17 September 2026 as the Government works to reduce net overseas migration (NOM). The changes could affect…
VETASSESS will increase Professional Skills Assessment fees from 9 September 2026. Applications received before this date will remain subject to the current fees. Fees for Professional Skills Assessments will increase from 9 September 2026, according to VETASSESS. The changes will also affect Priority Processing, Skills Assessment Support, Chinese Qualifications Verification, non-migration skills assessments and administration…
Tasmania will reopen its Skilled Migration State Nomination Program on 17 August 2026 with revised priority scoring, updated eligibility rules, 2,050 nomination places and weekly invitation rounds. Tasmania has announced that its 2026-27 Skilled Migration State Nomination Program will open for new Registrations of Interest (ROIs) on 17 August 2026, introducing several changes that could…
Getting an Australian visa can take months of planning and paperwork. So, it can come as a shock to learn that a visa can still be cancelled after it has been granted. A cancelled visa can affect your right to stay in Australia, your future visa applications, and even your ability to come back later.…
Tasmania has increased its skilled migration allocation to 2,050 places for 2026-27, creating more opportunities for eligible skilled workers seeking state nomination under subclasses 190 and 491. Tasmania has received 2,050 skilled migration nomination places for the 2026-27 program year, representing an increase of 200 places from the 1,850 places allocated in 2025-26. The expanded…
Australian skilled visa applicants may wait anywhere between 4 months and nearly 2 years for a decision, depending on the visa subclass they apply for, according to the latest processing times published by the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA). Skilled migration applicants who have qualifications or experience in an eligible skilled occupation and meet all…
For many people, the hardest part of a permanent visa is not the points test or the skills assessment. It is character. A permanent visa is a long-term grant, so the Department of Home Affairs looks closely at character. A charge that feels minor to you can become the issue that decides your application. This…
Australia has issued 10,000 invitations in the latest SkillSelect invitation round for Skilled Independent (subclass 189) visa, with invitation scores ranging from 65 to 100 points across more than 100 occupations. The Department of Home Affairs published the results of the 4 June 2026 SkillSelect invitation round for the subclass 189 visa, inviting 10,000 prospective…
A single questionable document can do more damage to a visa application than a weak case ever could. Public Interest Criterion 4020, usually shortened to PIC 4020, is the integrity rule that lets the Department of Home Affairs refuse a visa where a bogus document or false or misleading information has been put before it.…
Many temporary visa applications, including the Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa, require an applicant to satisfy Public Interest Criteria 4013 and 4014. For most people these criteria pass unnoticed. But for anyone with a visa cancellation or an unlawful departure in their history, they can impose a three-year exclusion that blocks a new visa…