Newsted Global

25/05/2026

The ACT's May 2026 invitation round extended nominations to physiotherapists, midwives, occupational therapists and primary school teachers at just 60 points onshore and multiple other occupations with just 65 points.

For professionals who are 30+ and have a skilled partner, ACT could be the state to be as it's the only state which a it's own point system. The path to permanent residency may be more straightforward than the broader migration conversation suggests.

Read more: https://www.newstedglobal.com/post/act-invitation-round-may-2026-cut-off-points-niche-state-specific-occupations-and-trade
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ACT's May 2026 Canberra Matrix round invited doctors, teachers and allied health professionals at just 60 points onshore. See who qualified and what's changing in 2026-27.

25/05/2026

Western Australia's May 2026 trades round closed with every last invited EOI coming from a WA resident. Find the full breakdown and what it means if you're in the queue:
https://www.newstedglobal.com/post/western-australia-may-2026-snmp-trades-invitation-round
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WA remains the state to be. Exploring your pathway?
Book a Free Phone Consultation: newstedglobal.com/book-online
or, call/sms/whatsApp: 0410 478 759 to get started.
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24/05/2026

Western Australia's May 2026 trades round closed with every last invited EOI coming from a WA resident. Find the full breakdown and what it means if you're in the queue:
https://www.newstedglobal.com/post/western-australia-may-2026-snmp-trades-invitation-round
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WA remains the state to be. Exploring your pathway?
Book a Free Phone Consultation: newstedglobal.com/book-online
or, call/sms/whatsApp: 0410 478 759 to get started.

Western Australia's May 2026 SNMP trades round issued 209 invitations across 13 building and construction occupations. Full data, points thresholds and analysis.

17/05/2026

Australia’s 2026-27 Migration Planning Level reflects a migration system increasingly shaped by economic pragmatism rather than headline intake figures alone. The broader direction suggests continued prioritisation of skilled workforce participation, infrastructure capability, regional sustainability, and targeted employer demand, while balancing growing political and housing pressures nationally.

For migrants, employers, universities, and industry stakeholders, the key conversation is no longer simply about migration numbers but about where Australia intends to direct long-term human capital and productivity growth. The policy settings emerging over the next 12 months may significantly influence skilled migration competitiveness, state nomination trends, employer-sponsored pathways, and future workforce planning across multiple sectors.

Read more: https://www.newstedglobal.com/migration-planning-level-2026-27
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Australia’s Migration Planning Level 2026-27 signals a more targeted and economically focused migration program, with continued emphasis on skilled migration, regional workforce needs, infrastructure delivery, and housing pressures.

12/05/2026

Federal Budget 2026-27: Bold Reform, Same Cap: 185,000.

This feels less like reform and more like another copy-paste migration strategy dressed up as “balance”. Yes, prioritising onshore applicants is a positive move. But where is the actual bold reform Australia keeps talking about? The real issue is the system itself still lacks proper long-term planning capacity, infrastructure coordination and processing efficiency. hence, policy direction continues swinging between industry demand and headline management.

Read the full article here:
https://www.newstedglobal.com/federal-budget-2026-27-australian-migration
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Australia’s Federal Budget 2026–27 has placed migration policy firmly at the centre of economic planning, workforce development and housing pressure debates. The latest federal budget reflects a stronger government focus on sustainable migration, skilled workforce targeting and tighter scrutiny ...

12/05/2026

Watch LIVE Budget 2026-27

Follow our live coverage of the highly anticipated 2026 federal budget.

10/05/2026

The 2026-27 Federal Budget gestures toward “calibration”, yet the underlying signals remain conflicted; tightening intake on one hand while relying on skilled migration to offset structural workforce gaps on the other. What would be a shambles is another cut-and-paste program. Another delayed announcement. Another year where states are told 33,000 and handed 20,350. That is not planning. That is managing optics while the system falls further behind.

Budget night is 12 May. We will know soon enough.
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Read more: https://www.newstedglobal.com/federal-budget-2026-27-migration
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Budget night is 12 May. We will know soon enough. Nearly 3 million temporary visa holders currently, and critics like Sustainable Population Australia argue converting large numbers to permanent residency would strain housing, infrastructure, and services. Only a small fraction of recent migrants wo...

05/05/2026

South Australia just issued 509 state nomination invitations and has now exceeded its full-year allocation for both Subclass 190 and 491. Here's what stood out from the 1 May 2026 round:

▪️ Health Professionals: 141 invitations (highest of any group)
▪️ Engineering & Design: 72 invitations
▪️ Education Professionals: 49 invitations
▪️ ICT Professionals: 28 invitations, all via Subclass 491

With the 2025-26 program year winding down, it's incumbent for applicants to choose their state migration decision wisely, possibly even to relocate. Not all states share the same criteria, nor do they experience the same demand or issue invitations at similar cut-off points.
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Read more: https://www.newstedglobal.com/post/south-australia-skilled-migration-may-2026-invitation-round
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South Australia's Skilled and Business Migration unit issued 509 invitations on 1 May 2026, covering 17 ANZSCO occupation groups across Subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated) and Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional). With year-to-date totals now at 1,606 and 1,009 respectively, SA has exceeded its 2025–...

05/05/2026

Victoria has released its latest round of skilled visa invitations, and it covers a broad range of professions, including Accountants, Civil Engineers, Marketing Specialists, Developer Programmers, Registered Nurses, Software Engineers, and many more.

What stood out across the invited profiles:
▪️All were actively employed in their nominated occupation in Victoria
▪️Salaries were at the higher end of market rate for their role
▪️Skilled partners and Superior English were frequently cited as differentiating factors

Points thresholds ranged from 80 pts (some healthcare and teaching roles) up to 105 pts (Taxation Accountant, Transport Engineer).
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If you hold a Registration of Interest with Victoria and your occupation appeared in this round, it’s worth reviewing your current points position and employment situation before the next round drops.

🔗 Read more: https://www.newstedglobal.com/post/victoria-may-2026-invitation-round
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Planning to study or migrate to Australia requires more than just choosing a course or visa. With constantly changing policies, selecting the right pathway is critical. This guide provides clear, practical insights into student visas, post-study work options, skilled migration pathways, and regional...

03/05/2026

NSW just issued its Subclass 491 Pathway 2 invitations on 30 April 2026; and the numbers are worth understanding before you draw conclusions about your own position.

Points cut-offs ranged from 65 for trades to 115 for ICT. That spread is not random. It reflects exactly how saturated each occupation pool is right now in New South Wales.

A few things stood out in this round:
▪️Onshore applicants had a clear edge across health, engineering and community roles.
▪️Trades remain the most accessible entry point in the entire skilled migration program.
▪️ICT and systems roles remain deeply competitive
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Full breakdown: https://www.newstedglobal.com/post/nsw-april-30-invitation-round-for-subclass-491
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The April 2026 NSW skilled migration invitation activity highlights a structured and highly selective approach to Subclass 190 and Subclass 491 nominations. The 16 April round focused on Subclass 190 with high points thresholds across engineering, IT, health, and education occupations, while the upc...