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
The Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026 came into force on 1st July 2026, bringing changes to citizenship fees, skilled visa income thresholds, and visa application charges across the board. Citizenship fees rise with CPI Citizenship application fees have gone up in line with the Consumer Price Index, effective from 1st July 2026. Income threshold lifts for regional visas The income threshold that applies to the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494) and the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme visa (subclass 187) will rise to $79,423 for applications lodged from 1st July 2026 onward. From now on, this figure will be adjusted automatically each year rather than requiring a fresh legislative instrument – bringing it in step with how the skilled visa income threshold used for other programs is managed. The same CSIT $79,423, along with SSIT $146,576, will also apply from the same date to the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) and the Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186). Most visa fees to jump 25 per cent The majority of visa application charges will rise by 25 per cent from 1st July 2026. A handful of visa types including Work and Holiday, Working Holiday, Resident Return, Bridging B, and the New Zealand Citizen (Family Relationship) visa will see their own specific fee adjustments rather than the standard increase. Not everyone is affected by the steeper rise, however. A defined “Pacific-regional country” category has been added to the regulations, covering nations including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Nauru, Palau, Kiribati, Tuvalu, the Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, and the Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia. Applicants from these countries, along with a handful of other priority groups, will only see fees rise in line with forecast CPI (2.6 per cent) rather than the full 25 per cent increase. These lower-increase groups include humanitarian and protection visa holders, certain temporary and regional mobility visa applicants, some student visa cohorts, and citizens of Pacific nations and Timor-Leste applying under relevant programs. Going forward, all other visa fees not covered by these specific arrangements will be indexed annually in line with forecast CPI. Click here: Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026
The new Migration Amendment (Working Holiday Maker Age Criteria) Regulations 2026 has commenced on 1st July 2026, amending the Migration Regulations 1994 to update age eligibility settings for Working Holiday visa applicants. Under the changes, people applying for a Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462) or a Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) must generally be between 18 and 35 years old. However, if a lower maximum age has been set for their passport’s country in the relevant legislative document, that lower age will apply instead. The rules also change how the government decides which passports qualify. For the subclass 417 visa, the types of passports that count as “working holiday eligible” will now be listed in a separate legislative instrument issued by the Minister, rather than being written directly into the Regulations. As part of this change, one specific rule, clause 462.212 in Schedule 2 has been removed. Click here: Migration Amendment (Working Holiday Maker Age Criteria) Regulations 2026
The Migration (Arrangements for Subclass 417 (Working Holiday) Visa) Instrument 2026, dated 29 June 2026 also replaces the previous 2022 instrument, commencing alongside the Migration Amendment (Working Holiday Maker Age Criteria) Regulations 2026. Applications must now be made using Form 1150, either online or by email within 7 days if the Department issues written notice. The instrument lists 19 eligible passport countries and regions, including Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands and the UK. A “younger age” eligibility of 30 applies to several of these – including Belgium, Estonia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Taiwan – while no age restriction applies to others such as Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and the UK. The update aligns Subclass 417 settings with the Government’s broader Working Holiday Maker age criteria changes, effective 1 July 2026. Click here: Migration (Arrangements for Subclass 417 (Working Holiday) Visa) Instrument 2026