The Department of Home Affairs is hosting a free online information session on Tuesday, 28 July 2026, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM (AEST), for businesses interested in employing workers from the Pacific Islands and Timor-Leste under the PALM scheme and the Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV). The PALM scheme is a temporary, employer-sponsored visa for unskilled to semi-skilled roles, available for short-term (up to 9 months) or long-term (1-4 years) placements – helping fill labour gaps in regional and agricultural sectors. The PEV is a permanent residence visa requiring an offer of ongoing employment, after which holders can work in any occupation, anywhere in Australia. The session will include an overview from the Department of Employment and Workforce Relations (PALM) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (PEV Support Service), followed by a Q&A with subject matter experts. Location: Online – access details provided upon registration. For more information click here
VFS Global has launched six new Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) across Australia, replacing the old centres that closed on 30 June 2026. The new centres offer more counters, extended hours, and stronger digital support for the Indian diaspora and other applicants using consular services in Australia. Key enhancements include: All applicants are required to book appointments online in advance via the official website before visiting a centre. The new Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) are operating from the following locations: Adelaide Suite 8.01, Level 8, 111 Gawler Place, Adelaide SA 5000 Brisbane Suite 0201, Level 2, 127 Creek Street, Brisbane City QLD 4000 Canberra Part Level 6, 40 Marcus Clarke Street, Canberra ACT 2601 Melbourne Ground Floor, 324 St Kilda Road, Melbourne VIC 3004 Perth Ground Floor, 23 Barrack Street, Perth WA 6000 Sydney Level 9, 22–24 Market Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Click here: VFS Global
The legislative instrument (Nil VAC Arrangements and Other Matters) Amendment (Rugby League World Cup 2026) Instrument 2026 (LIN 26/082), introducing special visa arrangements to support the Rugby League World Cup 2026, which will be hosted in Australia from 15 October 2026 to 15 November 2026. Under the instrument, the eligible applicants for a Temporary Activity (subclass 408) visa will not be charged a visa application fee if they are accredited for the event by the Australian Rugby League Commission and fall within an approved category, including competing team members, coaching staff, match officials, support staff, broadcast and media personnel, VIPs, and other official participants. These arrangements apply to visa applications made on or after 15 July 2026, and the provisions will be automatically repealed on 16 November 2026, shortly after the tournament concludes. Click here: Migration (Nil VAC Arrangements and Other Matters) Amendment (Rugby League World Cup 2026) Instrument 2026
The Migration (Specification of Commonwealth Priorities for Subclass 202 (Global Special Humanitarian) Visas) Instrument 2026 has set out new Commonwealth priorities guiding the permanent settlement of people proposed by approved proposing organisations under the Community Support Program. This instrument commences on 17 July 2026. Commonwealth priorities established: Click here: Migration (Specification of Commonwealth Priorities for Subclass 202 (Global Special Humanitarian) Visas) Instrument 2026
The Migration (Annual Applicant Limits for Subclass 202 (Global Special Humanitarian) Visas) Instrument 2026 has set specific limits on the number of applicants each approved proposing organisation (APO) may propose for a Subclass 202 (Global Special Humanitarian) visa under the Community Support Program, for the 2026-27 financial year. Applicant limits for (1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027): Approved Proposing Organisation Applicant Limit Assyrian Australian Association 50 Australian Migrant Resource Centre 50 Australian Refugee Association Inc 50 Eastern Christian Welfare Australia Ltd 0 Illawarra Multicultural Services 50 International Organization for Migration 75 Multicultural Australia Ltd 50 Multicultural Community Services Geelong Inc (trading as Cultura) 75 Settlement Services International Ltd 0 Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre 50 AMES Australia 75 Applicants are counted towards the limit of the organisation that proposed them at the time their application was made, regardless of whether they are seeking to satisfy primary or secondary visa criteria. If a different organisation proposes the applicant after the application has already been made, that applicant will not count towards the new organisation’s limit. These arrangements apply to visa applications made on or after the commencement of the instrument, which takes effect the day after registration. Click here: Migration (Annual Applicant Limits for Subclass 202 (Global Special Humanitarian) Visas) Instrument 2026
The Australian Government has announced a streamlined ‘Apply Again’ online application option for eligible Papua New Guinea (PNG) citizens applying for a Visitor Visa (Subclass 600), effective 1 July 2026. The “Apply again” applications are available through ImmiAccount to eligible Papua New Guinea citizens with a history of immigration compliance who have had a Visitor visa (600) in the Business Visitor or Tourist stream finalised within the previous five years. Click here: Department of Home Affairs
The Australian Government has announced the nationwide rollout of the Digital Incoming Passenger Card (IPC), replacing the traditional paper arrival card for international travellers. The Albanese Government will invest $56.1 million over four years to roll out digital passenger cards across the Australian airports. The initiative follows a successful pilot of the Australia Travel Declaration, run in partnership with the Australian Border Force, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and Qantas. Since October 2024, more than 450,000 passengers on inbound Qantas flights to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne have trialled the system. It will extend to Perth and Adelaide by the end of 2026, before a phased national rollout to all international airports and seaports over the following 12 to 18 months. The digital declaration is expected to reduce manual processing, improve biosecurity risk assessment through earlier data collection, and support Australia’s border capacity ahead of rising post-COVID traveller volumes and the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games. Ministers Don Farrell, Tony Burke, Kristy McBain and Julie Collins welcomed the initiative, citing benefits for tourism, national security, traveller experience and biosecurity protection. For more information click here
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