AIS Immigration Solutions

26/03/2026

🚨 Important Update – Arrival Control Determination (26 March 2026) 🚨

The Minister for Home Affairs has introduced a new Arrival Control Determination, effective from 26 March 2026 for a period of six months.

👉 Who is affected?
Visitor (Subclass 600) visa holders who:

are outside Australia on 26 March 2026, and
used an Iranian passport in their visa application

⚠️ These visas will temporarily cease to be in effect, unless an exemption applies.

💡 Key exemptions include:

Spouse/partner or dependent child of an Australian citizen or permanent resident
Parent of a child under 18 in Australia
Individuals who were in Australia at the time of commencement
Those holding a valid Permitted Travel Certificate (PTC)

📌 Permitted Travel Certificates (PTC):
Applications are assessed case-by-case and only granted in limited circumstances (e.g. parents of Australian citizens or genuine temporary entrants).

✈️ Before travelling:
Affected individuals should:

Request an Arrival Control Determination check via the Department’s portal - https://acdchecks.homeaffairs.gov.au/tep
Confirm whether their visa remains valid for travel

💰 Please note: No refunds will be provided unless eligibility is met under regulation 2.12F.

📣 As always, visa outcomes and travel permissions remain at the discretion of the Department.

10/03/2026

📢 Update for 407 Training Visa Applicants

From 11 March 2026, new rules for the Training Visa (Subclass 407) will apply.

Under the Migration Amendment (Training Visas—Sponsorship Requirements) Regulations 2026, you cannot lodge your 407 visa application until your sponsor’s Temporary Activities Sponsorship (TAS) and the training nomination are both approved.

This change may affect your application timeline, so it’s important to plan ahead.

You can read the full instrument here:
https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L00221/latest/text

If you’re planning to apply for a 407 visa, our team can guide you through the updated process and ensure your application is ready.

We acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of country throughout Australia and acknowledge their continuing connection to land, waters and community.

05/12/2025

🎉 SKILLSELECT INVITATION ROUND — 13 NOVEMBER 2025
(Official Department of Home Affairs results)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📌 TOTAL INVITATIONS ISSUED
• Subclass 189: 10,000
• Subclass 491 (Family Sponsored): 300
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

📅 Tie-Break Dates
• 189: Nov 2025
• 491: Oct 2025

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🔧 OCCUPATIONS INVITED AT 65 POINTS
(Official minimum scores from the published table)

🛠 Trades & Construction
• Airconditioning & Mechanical Services Plumber (189)
• Bricklayer (189)
• Carpenter (189 & 491)
• Carpenter & Joiner (189)
• Electrician (General) (189 & 491)
• Fibrous Plasterer (189 & 491)
• Joiner (189)
• Plumber (General) (189)
• Solid Plasterer (189 & 491)
• Stonemason (189)
• Wall and Floor Tiler (189)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
💡 What this means for applicants
✔ Trade occupations continue to perform strongly
✔ 65-point EOIs in these occupations received invitations
✔ Update your EOI regularly — English, experience, qualifications, partner points

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📩 Need help checking your points or updating your EOI?
Send us a message — we’re here to assist. 🇦🇺✨

Send a message to learn more

18/11/2025

2025–26 State and Terrority Nomination Allocations!

On 4 November 2025 the Australian Government set the number of state and territory nomination allocations for the 2025-26 program year at 20,350.

The Australian Government sets allocation numbers by considering:

- the workforce and demographic needs of jurisdictions
- the number of on-hand visa applications
- Migration Program planning levels.

07/11/2025

30/10/2025

🏗️ Western Australia Skilled Migration Update – October 2025 Invitation Round 🏗️

Great news for tradies and construction professionals! 👷‍♂️👷‍♀️

Western Australia has released its latest State-Nominated Migration Program (SNMP) results for October 2025, with strong focus on Building and Construction trades across both the General and Graduate streams.

💥 Key highlights:
✅ Construction-related occupations continue to receive invitations — including:

Carpenters & Joiners (331211 / 331212)

Bricklayers (331111)

Plumbers (334111)

Electricians (341111)

Wall & Floor Tilers (333411)

Cabinetmakers (394111)

Fibrous & Solid Plasterers (333211 / 333212)

✅ Applicants based in WA are still being prioritised, followed by those offshore or in other states.
✅ EOIs in key sectors — building & construction, healthcare, hospitality, and education — are ranked highest.
✅ The lowest EOI points invited for trades ranged between 65 – 90 points, showing there’s still room for skilled tradies to compete effectively.

💬 If you’re a qualified tradesperson or currently working in WA’s construction industry, this could be the perfect time to review your options for a 491 or 190 visa under the WA State Nomination pathway.

📞 Our team at AIS Immigration Solutions can check your eligibility, advise on EOI ranking, and help you plan your next steps to secure state nomination in WA.

👉 Send us a message or call our office to find out where you stand.

16/09/2025

📢 Migration Queensland 2025–26 Program Updates

The new program year has been announced with important changes for skilled migrants.

✨ Key Updates

Pathways:
✅ New onshore pathway for Building & Construction workforce
❌ Offshore Energy Workers pathway removed
🔄 Changes to 491 SBO stream

Skilled Program Requirements:
✅ Ongoing work requirement removed (onshore)
✅ Work hours reduced to 20 per week
✅ Casual work now accepted
✅ QLD work experience rules updated
✅ Settlement funds no longer required (offshore)

EOI:
🔹 No need to create a new EOI each year
🔹 Can select multiple states of interest

Occupation Lists:
📌 Revised lists published (onshore & offshore)
📌 Streamlined for construction occupations

Selection Factors:
Skills, work experience, English, age, partner skills, location & salary

Evidence Requirements:
📑 New rules for self-employed applicants

👷 Onshore Applicants

Must be living and working in QLD (6+ months for 491 / 9+ months for 190)

Work at least 20 hours per week, related to your nominated occupation

Casual work and work from home accepted (if employer has QLD presence)

👷 Building & Construction Pathway

Work in QLD for 3+ months

Occupation must be on the Building & Construction Onshore Skills List

Eligible for Subclass 190 nomination

🎓 QLD Graduates

Bachelor, Master’s or PhD from a QLD university (after July 2021)

Work in QLD for 6+ months (491) or 9+ months (190)

Any Skill Level 1 occupation accepted

🌍 Offshore Applicants

Occupation must be on QLD Offshore Skills List

At least 1 year of relevant skilled employment experience

Still employed at the time of invitation

Settlement funds requirement removed

💡 At AIS Immigration Solutions, we stay up to date so you don’t have to.
If you’re planning to apply under the 2025–26 Migration Queensland program, contact us to check your eligibility and prepare your strongest application.

📞 Contact us today – let’s secure your future in Queensland.

03/09/2025

Permanent Migration Program set for 2025-2026

06/08/2025

📢 IMPORTANT: New English Test Rules for Australian Visas – from 7 August 2025

The Australian Government has released a new legislative instrument (LIN 25/016) that changes the accepted English language tests and scores for visa applications.

🆕 What’s changing from 7 August 2025?

1️⃣ New English tests accepted
You can now use:

LANGUAGECERT

MET

CELPIP
✅ Plus existing tests like IELTS, PTE, OET, TOEFL iBT, and Cambridge (C1 Advanced)

2️⃣ Some score requirements have increased
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-text/eplus/pages/elp-h0320.aspx?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwMAB1hjbGNrAv_WTmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEeyI37foTXvAGvdG-3N0MTsr0mGoIZAOx5QdQO20Vgo4KlTpuj2vcE0ai32Ps_aem__ZTVnrTZANcTdxYMKDO7AA%0A

🕒 Already sat your English test? You might be covered!

✅ Good news — there’s a grandfathering rule
If you sat a valid English test before 7 August 2025, it can still be used if:

✔ It was taken within 3 years of your visa application
✔ You met the old minimum scores

❗ New test scores only apply to tests taken on or after 7 August 2025

🌍 Passport holders from these countries may be exempt from English testing:

• United Kingdom
• United States
• Canada
• Ireland
• New Zealand

📄 This update comes directly from the official legislative instrument: LIN 25/016, registered 6 August 2025.

30/06/2025

📢 Important Changes from 1 July 2025 – Visa & Citizenship Fees Update

From 1 July 2025, several visa and citizenship application fees will increase:

🔹 Visa Application Charges (VACs) will rise in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) — a 3% increase, rounded to the nearest $5.
🔹 Student (Subclass 500) and Student Guardian (Subclass 590) visas will increase more significantly – from $1,600 to $2,000.
🔹 Pacific Island and Timor-Leste applicants will continue to access concessional VACs (no uplift).
🔹 The Pacific Engagement visa (Subclass 192) is not subject to this increase.

📝 Australian Citizenship (by conferral) application fee will increase from $560 to $575.

⚖️ Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) fees will rise as well:

Migration review: $3,580 (or $1,790 with a 50% concession)

Protection visa review: $2,203 (fee payable only if review is unsuccessful)