The Australian Government has announced a significant package of migration reforms affecting skilled migration, Student visas, Visitor visas, Working Holiday Makers and immigration compliance.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke outlined the changes at the National Press Club on 17 September 2026 as part of the Government’s strategy to reduce Net Overseas Migration while continuing to prioritise workers needed in key areas of the Australian economy.
The reforms include changes to skilled visa processing priorities, a proposed new skilled migration points test, restrictions on secondary applicants for many Student and Temporary Graduate visa holders, a new ballot system for second and third Working Holiday Maker visas, and the broader application of the No Further Stay condition to Visitor visas.
Some implementation details and commencement dates are still to be released. The following provides an overview of the key changes announced.
Net Overseas Migration Continues to Fall
The reforms were announced on the same day that the Australian Bureau of Statistics released new population data showing that Net Overseas Migration (NOM) fell to 292,100 in the year ending March 2026, compared with 309,500 during the previous 12-month period.
Australia’s population reached approximately 27.9 million at 31 March 2026, representing annual population growth of 1.4%.
The Government is seeking to reduce NOM further, targeting 245,000 in 2026–27 and 225,000 in 2027–28.
Against this background, the Government has indicated that it intends to more closely control temporary migration while continuing to target skilled migration towards areas of workforce demand.
Changes to Skilled Migration
For Australian employers and skilled migrants, two of the most important announcements concern skilled visa processing priorities and the skilled migration points test.
Expansion of Skilled Visa Processing Priorities
The Government has announced further changes to the priority processing arrangements applying to skilled visa applications.
Ministerial Direction 119 currently determines the order in which specified skilled visa and employer nomination applications are processed.
The Government has indicated that priority processing will be expanded across areas of identified workforce need, including sectors such as:
- healthcare;
- construction;
- education;
- agriculture;
- fisheries;
- resources;
- defence; and
- law enforcement.
For Australian employers seeking to recruit overseas workers, these processing priorities reinforce the Government’s intention to direct skilled migration towards areas where labour shortages are considered particularly significant.
It is important to note that priority processing does not change the eligibility requirements for a visa. Applicants and employers must still satisfy all applicable nomination and visa criteria.
Changes to the Skilled Migration Points Test
The Government has also announced changes to the points test applying to points-tested skilled migration.
Under the proposed approach, greater recognition is expected to be given to qualifications in construction and other occupations relevant to Australia’s housing needs.
In particular, trade qualifications in areas of significant workforce demand are expected to receive greater recognition under the revised points system, reflecting the Government’s focus on attracting workers who can contribute to housing construction and other areas of skills shortage.
Further details regarding the new points test, including the allocation of points and commencement arrangements, are still required.
Student and Temporary Graduate Visa Changes
Significant changes have also been announced for international students and Temporary Graduate visa holders.
Restrictions on Secondary Applicants
Most international students and Temporary Graduate visa holders will no longer be able to include or subsequently bring partners and children to Australia as secondary visa applicants under the announced reforms.
Exceptions are expected to apply to certain groups, including some students from Pacific and ASEAN countries and students undertaking PhD-level study.
Importantly, the Government has indicated that the changes will not separate families who are already in Australia under existing visa arrangements.
Further detail will be required to determine precisely which applicants will be affected and when the new arrangements will commence.
Further Restrictions on Student “Visa Hopping”
The Government has also announced further measures intended to prevent Student visas being used primarily as a means of extending a person’s stay in Australia.
Genuine academic progression will continue to be recognised. For example, an international student progressing from a Bachelor degree to a Masters degree should be able to continue through the Student visa program where the relevant requirements are satisfied.
Greater restrictions are expected where a student seeks to move to a lower-level course or provider in circumstances that do not represent genuine academic progression.
These measures form part of a broader Government focus on ensuring that the Student visa program remains directed towards genuine study.
Major Change to Visitor Visas: No Further Stay Condition
One of the most significant announcements concerns people entering Australia on Visitor visas.
The Government has announced that future Visitor visa grants will generally be subject to a No Further Stay condition, preventing most visa holders from applying for another substantive visa while they remain in Australia.
This represents a potentially significant change for individuals who may previously have entered Australia as visitors and subsequently sought to lodge another visa application onshore.
The Government has indicated that existing Visitor visa holders and people already in Australia on Visitor visas will not be retrospectively affected by the announced change.
Protection visa applications will also remain subject to separate arrangements.
The practical effect of this reform is likely to make planning before travelling to Australia considerably more important. Prospective migrants should not assume that entering Australia on a Visitor visa will provide an opportunity to change to another visa category after arrival.
New Ballot for Second and Third Working Holiday Maker Visas
The Government has announced major changes to access to second and third Working Holiday Maker visas.
Applicants seeking to remain in Australia for a second or third Working Holiday year will be subject to a new ballot system.
Under the announced arrangements:
- up to 45,000 places will be available for second-year visas; and
- up to 5,000 places will be available for third-year visas.
Eligible applicants will still be required to satisfy applicable specified work requirements, including regional work requirements where these apply.
The changes represent a substantial reduction in the number of Working Holiday Makers expected to progress to second and particularly third-year visas.
Separate arrangements apply to certain nationalities under Australia’s international agreements, and further detail will be required regarding the interaction between those agreements and the new ballot arrangements.
Increased Focus on Immigration Compliance
The Government has also announced a stronger compliance and enforcement program directed at people remaining in Australia without a valid visa.
Approximately 77,000 visa overstayers are estimated to be in Australia.
The Government intends to increase compliance activity, including through approximately 100 additional compliance officers and increased immigration detention capacity.
The stated objective is to encourage people without lawful immigration status to regularise their position or depart Australia rather than remain unlawfully.
Greater Scrutiny of Migration Agents
Further action has also been foreshadowed against migration agents who knowingly facilitate visa applications that do not have merit or otherwise misuse Australia’s migration system.
Details of the proposed additional sanctions and regulatory measures have not yet been released.
Changes to Character Decision-Making
The Government has also announced that Ministerial Direction 110, which concerns character and conduct considerations in visa decision-making, will be updated.
The changes are intended to strengthen the treatment of matters involving crimes against children and domestic and family violence, as well as other serious conduct.
Further information will be required once the revised Ministerial Direction is released.
What Do the Changes Mean for Australian Employers?
For Australian businesses, the announcements demonstrate that the Government is seeking to reduce overall Net Overseas Migration while continuing to use the skilled migration program to address particular workforce shortages.
The expansion of skilled visa processing priorities is especially relevant to employers operating in sectors such as construction, healthcare, education, agriculture and resources.
More broadly, employers sponsoring overseas workers should continue to consider immigration planning well in advance, particularly as processing priorities and visa settings continue to evolve.
The announced reforms also highlight an increasingly clear distinction between temporary migration pathways and pathways designed to address Australia’s longer-term skills requirements.
What Happens Next?
A number of the changes announced on 17 September 2026 will require further regulatory, policy or administrative implementation, and some commencement dates and transitional arrangements have not yet been released.
Individuals and employers should therefore be cautious about assuming that every announced measure applies immediately.
Hartman Immigration will continue to monitor the implementation of the reforms and provide updates as further legislation, regulations, Ministerial Directions and Department of Home Affairs guidance become available.
Hartman Immigration
Hartman Immigration assists Australian and international businesses with employer-sponsored and skilled migration matters, including Skills in Demand (Subclass 482), Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186), Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Subclass 494), Training (Subclass 407) and other Australian visa pathways.
For advice regarding how the announced migration changes may affect your business, employees or Australian visa options, please contact Hartman Immigration.
This article provides general information only and does not constitute immigration or legal advice. Australian immigration laws and policies are subject to change. Individual circumstances should be considered before acting on the information provided.