Administrative Review Tribunal’s (ART) powers to determine matters without an oral hearing will come into effect on 18 May 2026, following the commencement of the Administrative Review Tribunal and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2026. The Act broadens the circumstances in which the ART may decide a matter “on the papers” that is, without holding a formal oral hearing. This approach is permitted where the issues in dispute can be adequately resolved on the available material, where it is reasonable in the circumstances to proceed without a hearing, and where all parties have been given a reasonable opportunity to make written submissions which the ART has duly considered. In the migration context, the amendments introduce a specific requirement that certain visa review applications must now be determined on the papers. This obligation applies to reviews of decisions relating to temporary visas prescribed under the Migration Regulations. It is worth noting that no temporary visas have been prescribed for this purpose to date. Importantly, permanent visa and protection visa matters are not affected by these changes and will continue to be dealt with in the usual manner. For more information Click here

The Department of Home Affairs has refreshed the auto – reply for the Employer Sponsored Program Division (ESPD) mailbox. The revised response introduces structured subject line requirements to help the Department triage enquiries more efficiently and provides stakeholders with current processing timeframes and guidance on common issues including bridging visas. To assist the Department in directing enquiries to the right team promptly, all emails to the ESPD mailbox should include three elements in the subject line: “For example: SID – BV required – BCC2026/XXXXXX” As of 4 May 2026, the ESPD is working through the following backlogs: Bridging visa guidance The Department is managing a high volume of bridging visa applications. Where urgency is claimed, supporting documentary evidence is required – follow-up requests without documentation will not be actioned. Practitioners should also note that submitting multiple bridging visa applications for the same matter will not accelerate processing.

Engineers Australia has announced a 3–4% increase to its Migration Skills Assessment (MSA) fees from 1 July 2026. The adjustment aligns with movements in the consumer price index, wage price index, and producer price index, and has been approved by the Department of Home Affairs. All skilled migrants seeking an Engineers Australia skills assessment for visa purposes will be subject to the revised fees. This includes applicants lodging under international accord pathways (Washington, Sydney, or Dublin Accord), Australian accredited engineering qualifications, or a Competency Demonstration Report (CDR), as well as those accessing additional services such as fast-track processing, overseas PhD assessments, and reviews or appeals. For the complete updated fee tables — covering all assessment types and additional services visit Assessment fees and additional services.

Several states and territories have provided updates on their skilled migration nomination allocations for the 2025–26 program year. Some programs have now reached capacity and closed to new applicants, while others continue to issue invitations ahead of the 2026–27 year. New South Wales Skilled Nominated visa (Subclass 190) NSW has now issued sufficient invitations to meet its Subclass 190 nomination allocation for the 2025–26 program year. No further invitations will be issued under this subclass until the Australian Government confirms a new allocation at the commencement of the 2026–27 program year. Skilled Work Regional visa (Subclass 491) — Pathway 2 An invitation round for Subclass 491 Pathway 2 was conducted last week. NSW will continue to issue invitations under this subclass until the remaining nomination allocation for the current program year is exhausted. South Australia South Australia has issued nomination invitations in May 2026, comprising 295 invitations for the Subclass 190 visa and 214 invitations for the Subclass 491 visa. The total number of nomination invitations issued in the 2025–26 program year to date stands at 1,606 for Subclass 190 and 1,009 for Subclass 491. South Australia will continue to issue invitations, with the next round expected in mid to late May 2026. Further details, including a breakdown by ANZSCO sub-major group, are available on the South Australian Government website. Northern Territory The Northern Territory Government has received sufficient applications to fully utilise its General Skilled Migration nomination allocation for the 2025–26 program year. The NT nomination portal is now closed to new applications. Applications submitted prior to the closure will continue to be assessed, with updates provided through the online portal. The portal will reopen once the Australian Government confirms the Northern Territory’s nomination allocations for the 2026–27 program year. Further information is available on the Northern Territory Government website.

The income thresholds for the Subclass 482 (Temporary Skill Shortage) and Subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme) visa programs will increase from 1 July 2026 following the annual indexation process under regulation 5.42A of the Migration Regulations. Each year, the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) and Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) are automatically adjusted based on the Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE) data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). As this indexation occurs under the Regulations, no separate legislative instrument is required. Indexed thresholds for the 2026–27 program year: A key practical consideration relates to Labour Market Testing (LMT). Sponsors must complete LMT including the mandatory 28-day advertising period before a Subclass 482 nomination can be lodged. Any advertising commenced close to 1 July 2026 must reflect the new CSIT and SSIT amounts, as advertising that references the current lower thresholds may not satisfy requirements once the updated figures take effect.

The Australian Government has formally responded to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee’s report on the Administrative Review Tribunal (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2024 that was tabled on 31 October 2024. The Government’s response was tabled on 7 May 2026 — over a year after the Act received Royal Assent on 20 February 2025. The Bill, which passed Parliament on 12 February 2025, amended 52 Commonwealth Acts to update references from the former Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) to the new Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), and introduced technical amendments to support efficient Tribunal review operations. Click here: Government response to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee report on the Administrative Review Tribunal (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2024

Victoria’s 2025-26 state-nominated skilled visa program is now closed to new Registrations of Interest (ROIs). The government will continue to assess all submitted ROIs for the remaining nomination places in this program year. The program remains active only for candidates who have already submitted their applications. Applicants who withdraw their ROI will not be able to submit a new one until the 2026-27 program opens. Information on the 2026-27 program will be published once available. Click: Victoria’s skilled visa nomination program 2025-26

The ballot for the Pacific Engagement Visa (subclass 192) under the Tuvalu Treaty Stream is now officially open, offering a limited number of 280 visa places for the 2026 program year. To participate, applicants must first complete the registration for the ballot. A random selection process will then determine who will be invited to apply for the visa. This visa offers eligible citizens from Tuvalu an opportunity for permanent residency in Australia. Applicants who are selected will have the freedom to live, work, and study anywhere across Australia, without any minimum skill requirements, job limitations, or English language proficiency criteria. Click here: Pacific Engagement visa (subclass 192) – Treaty stream – Ballot registration

OMARA has issued a reminder to all Registered Migration Agents (RMAs) regarding their responsibilities under Section 26 of the Code of Conduct. This includes the obligation to ensure that all promotional materials are truthful and not misleading. The full communication can be found below: “Subject: Reminder – false or misleading statements in business promotion (section 26) Dear Registered Migration Agent The Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) reminds registered migration agents (‘RMAs’) of their duties under section 26 of the Migration (Migration Agents Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021 (‘the Code of Conduct’), which places a duty on RMAs to not make false or misleading statements when promoting their business, services or qualifications. This duty applies to all forms of promotion, including websites, social media, advertising and other marketing material. Section 26 of the Code of Conduct requires RMAs to ensure that statements about their qualifications, professional status and experience are accurate and not misleading. OMARA has identified instances in which some RMAs have promoted themselves in a way that may imply they are qualified legal practitioners. Individuals who are not appropriately qualified and admitted to practise law, must not represent or suggest that they are a lawyer, solicitor or legal practitioner. RMAs must also avoid using terminology or descriptions that could mislead others about their professional status or create an incorrect impression of their professional standing. RMAs are encouraged to review their promotional materials to ensure they clearly and accurately reflect their status as RMAs. Any false or misleading statements may give rise to concerns about whether an RMA has complied with their duties under the Code of Conduct and may be subject to investigation by the OMARA. OMARA’s approach is to support RMAs in understanding and fulfilling their professional obligations while proactively addressing issues at an early stage.Further information about the Code of Conduct is available on the OMARA website at this link: Code of conduct.

A new interactive platform, the JSA Atlas, has been launched by Jobs and Skills Australia, offering a comprehensive view of labour market data across occupations, industries, and regions in Australia. It brings together government-sourced data into a single platform, allowing users to explore employment trends, job vacancies, skills needs, and training pipeline activity at national, state, and regional levels. It also enables comparison across regions and occupations to better understand workforce demand and emerging trends. This tool can support skilled migration work in several ways, including: Click here: Jobs and Skills Atlas