The Great South Coast (GSC) Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) is an agreement between the Australian Government and the region. It’s designed to help local businesses deal with specific shortages of workers. Employers can apply under this agreement at any time. The DAMA allows employers in the region to sponsor skilled and semi-skilled workers from overseas for jobs they can’t fill with local workers. Nomination fees under the GSC DAMA will rise as follows: Industry Labour Agreement (ILA) update From 26th March 2026, where a requested occupation is already available under an existing Industry Labour Agreement (ILA), that occupation can only be endorsed under the DAMA if the overseas worker will be employed in an industry different from the one covered by the relevant ILA. Employers operating within an industry already covered by an existing ILA must use that ILA for relevant occupations, rather than applying through the DAMA. Click here: Great South Coast DAMA

The Northern Territory’s 2025-26 General Skilled Migration (GSM) nomination allocation has been fully exhausted. Applications meeting nomination requirements will be considered once new allocations arrive for 2026-27, with applications currently in the queue continuing to be processed as normal. Migration NT cannot guarantee nomination outcomes before visa expiry, so applicants should keep their visas and supporting documents including skills assessments and English test results valid throughout the process. The NT Government nominates for the subclass 491 visa and subclass 190 visa, requiring applicants to commit to living and working in the NT for at least three years. Nomination is not a job guarantee, applicants are responsible for finding their own employment and accommodation, and the NT Government provides no financial assistance and won’t issue release letters for transfers to other states. Click here: NT Government

ACT Migration will launch a new online portal for Canberra Matrix submissions and ACT nomination applications ahead of the first 2026-27 invitation round. The existing portal closes from 13th July 2026 (with Canberra Matrix submissions accepted until 12th July 2026), and the new portal goes live the week of 27th July 2026. The upgraded system aims to modernise the application process, with improvements including: Updated fees structure From the 2026-27 financial year, the total cost of ACT nomination will be $350 (excl. GST), made up of: Canberra Matrix changes: Submissions remain valid for six months, extendable to 12 months. Edits are free but count as a new submission for ranking purposes, and tied scores will now be ranked by last-updated date rather than original submission date. These transfer automatically to the new portal (no resubmission needed), though users must create a new account with their original email. Transferred submissions can’t be edited, may take up to a week to appear, and remain valid. Click here: ACT Government

The Fees payable in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, as well as the Administrative Review Tribunal has increased from 1st July 2026. Federal Circuit and Family Court General federal law and migration law fees have increased under the Federal Court and Federal Circuit and Family Court Regulations 2022. Key changes include the standard filing fee rising from $835 to $870 (individuals) and $2,005 to $2,085 (corporations), and the migration judicial review filing fee (section 476) increasing from $4,015 to $4,180 (or $2,005 to $2,090 at the reduced rate). Smaller increases apply across interlocutory applications, bankruptcy filings, hearing fees, subpoenas and mediation. Administrative Review Tribunal ART’s annual CPI-linked fee increase has also taken effect. The standard application fee has risen to $1,195, the migration decision review fee to $3,727 (50% hardship reduction available), and the protection decision review fee to $2,293 (generally payable only if unsuccessful). Small business taxation review fees are now $641, and low-value tax disputes are $119. A new fee is set at the standard rate that applies to reviews of NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissioner decisions. The concessional fee remains $100. Click here: Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia and Administrative Review Tribunal

Migration Tasmania has fully delivered its 2025-26 State Nomination Program, filling all 1,200 places for subclass 190 and 650 places for subclass 491. With no places remaining, the ROI Gateway and application portal are now closed and will reopen once a new nomination allocation is received from the Department of Home Affairs for 2026-27. Migration Tasmania will keep assessing applications, but approvals won’t be formally nominated until the new allocation arrives. ROIs not yet invited will be held for six months and reconsidered when the new program opens. Both the ROI Gateway and application portal are also currently undergoing maintenance, with no set reopening timeframe. Click here: Tasmanian Government

Queensland’s Registrations of Interest (ROIs) for the 2025-26 State Nominated Migration Program (SNMP) have officially closed, following a high volume of high-quality submissions. All available nomination places for this program year have now been filled. Migration Queensland, the Queensland Government agency responsible for skilled and business visa nomination, is currently awaiting advice from the Australian Government regarding future program settings, including nomination allocations. Invited applicants who have submitted their application will continue to be assessed and finalised once new nomination places are allocated. These applicants are not required to take any further action. Click here: Migration Queensland

The Commonwealth Government has extended the Goldfields Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) to 31st December 2026, allowing Goldfields employers to continue sponsoring overseas workers where local recruitment has been unsuccessful. The agreement offers access to a broader range of occupations than standard skilled migration programs, along with eligible concessions, to support workforce needs across the region. Employers must first obtain endorsement from the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder before applying to the Australian Government for a DAMA labour agreement. Click here: Goldfields DAMA

South Australia’s two Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs) have been extended for three months, until 30 September 2026, while negotiations continue on a new five-year statewide DAMA. The existing terms and conditions of both agreements remain unchanged from the last variation made in June 2025. While the Department of Home Affairs has not yet issued a formal announcement, employers and agents are reminded that the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) will change on 1st July 2026. This should be taken into account when conducting Labour Market Testing for positions under the South Australian DAMA. Click here: Extension for Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs)

The Department of Home Affairs has released results for latest SkillSelect invitation round. A total of 10,000 EOIs were invited for the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189), with a tie-break date of 24th April 2026. Read more: Minimum points scores ranged from 65 (trades such as Bricklayer, Carpenter, Electrician, Plumber) up to 100 (Urologist), with several occupations including Biotechnologist, Electronics Engineer, Marine Biologist and Telecommunications Engineer, requiring a score of 95. For the 2025-26 program year to date, 26,887 invitations have been issued for subclass 189, and 450 for the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) – Family Sponsored. Click here: ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Invitation rounds​​​​​​​​​ outcomes

Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) has advised that some applicants attempting to pay for a skills assessment using credit cards issued by banks in certain countries are experiencing a declined payment error. The issue stems from how TRA’s third-party payment provider is applying requirements under international sanctions frameworks, specifically in relation to the Zimbabwe sanctions framework administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). TRA has confirmed it is working with key stakeholders to resolve the issue so that legitimate payments can resume as soon as possible. The problem is currently affecting only payment cards issued by banks in countries covered by the relevant sanctions framework – cards issued by banks in other countries continue to work as normal. Click here: Trades Recognition Australia