Abode Australia Migration

31/05/2026

Subclass 462 - Ballot for applicants from India will open from Thursday 4 June to Thursday 25 June 2026 ⤵️

29/05/2026

🎊Subclass 189 invitation round will be held on 4 June 2026.🎊

Please ensure your EOI is up to date.

16/05/2026

Australia’s migration program planning levels for 2026–27 remain broadly stable at around 185,000 places (~0% change), with the Skilled program at 132,240 places (~70%) and the Family program at 52,460 places (~30%). However, the composition is shifting toward skilled and employer-sponsored migration, with a stronger emphasis on onshore applicants.

Key changes include:
• Increase in Skilled Independent (189): 16,900 → 21,900
• Increase in Employer Sponsored and Skilled pathways, reflecting stronger employer demand (+3–5% trend)
• Decrease in 491 regional pathway due to tighter eligibility and reduced effective uptake
• Family migration: broadly stable overall, but under growing demand pressure
• Parent visas: 8,500 → ~7,080 places, leading to increased backlog pressure and longer processing times

Seema Chauhan
MARN 0850953

12/05/2026

🇦🇺 Federal Budget Snapshot: Migration & Skills Reform
The Government is reshaping Australia’s migration system with a stronger focus on skilled workers, workforce shortages, and migration integrity.
🔹 $85.2M invested to fast-track skills recognition for migrant tradies
🔹 Faster licensing pathways for electricians, plumbers & other priority trades
🔹 Skills assessments to be faster and more flexible
🔹 Up to 4,000 extra skilled trades workers added each year
🔹 Permanent migration program set at 185,000 places, with over 70% allocated to skilled migrants
🔹 Priority given to migrants already living and working in Australia
🔹 Major reform to the permanent migration points test to prioritise younger, better educated, and higher-skilled migrants who can drive productivity and long-term economic growth
🔹 Stronger pathways between VET and university to reduce study costs and duplication
🔹 $167.4M invested to strengthen migration system integrity
🔹 Increased scrutiny on student visas and protection visa misuse
🔹 Temporary Graduate visa charges doubled from March 2026
🔹 Working Holiday Maker (WHM) program will be reformed with more visa places allocated via ballot to better manage numbers and improve fairness
🔹 Net overseas migration forecast reduced to 245,000

The Budget tightens migration toward more skilled and younger migrants and improves visa integrity and skills recognition, but it remains an incremental shift with limited structural reform and some unresolved trade-offs around fairness, complexity, and efficiency.

11/05/2026

Last week, the Regional Migration Conference on the Gold Coast, hosted by the Migration Institute of Australia, was packed with insightful discussions, important conversations, and valuable networking opportunities.
Key highlights from the conference included:
• Presentation by the Department of Home Affairs, which emphasised that processing times depend on application readiness, application volumes, ministerial directions, and planning levels. An important takeaway was: “Check twice and submit once.”
• Mayor Tom Tate highlighted the growing need for construction workers, medical researchers health care workers and school staff across the Gold Coast. He also spoke about the challenges of delivering major infrastructure projects within short timeframes while requiring highly specialised skills.
• Associate Professor Aude Bernard, demographer, presented migration trends, including the “permanent temporariness on the rise.”
• DAMA representatives across regions consistently highlighted the urgent demand for construction workers. Discussions focused on place-based concessions tailored to local workforce needs and occupations, with state-based DAMA arrangements currently under discussion.
• South Australia’s Skills Commission showcased the Regional Training Trail 407 Pilot for enrolled nurses under a national training contract pathway.
• The Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration provided insights into the ongoing inquiry into the value of skilled migration to Australia.
The conference also explored regional visa perspectives and the future of regional migration in Australia, reinforcing the critical role migration continues to play in supporting regional growth and workforce demands.
With the Federal Budget being handed down tomorrow night, attention now turns to what may be in store for Australia’s migration program and workforce planning priorities.

24/04/2026

Moments like this make it all worth it ✨

10/03/2026

New laws could allow the government to temporarily ban travellers from certain countries to protect Australia’s migration system.

Overseas visitors planning to travel from certain countries could be temporarily blocked from entering Australia in an attempt by the federal government to stop a wave of people overstaying their visas due to the war in the Middle East.

10/03/2026

Update - Changes to Training Visa
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/news-media/archive/article?itemId=1392

01/03/2026

Rising visa and tuition costs will affect international student enrolments in Australia, a sector that contributes approximately AUD $50 billion annually to the economy.

For example, the same degree costs $67,000 for an Australian student and $360,000 for an international student. Student visas (Subclass 500) currently cost $2,000, the highest globally.

International students contribute to jobs, education, and the economy.

While fee increases normally take effect on 1 July, the Temporary Graduate visa fee has increased from $2,300 to $4,600 as of today — a 100% jump that places a sudden financial burden on international students already managing high living costs. Many had budgeted for the original fee and now face the urgent need to find an additional $2,300 before 15 March to remain lawful.

01/01/2026