The Department of Home Affairs provides an online reporting mechanism (Border Watch) through which members of the public and practitioners can report suspicious or potentially unlawful activity relating to immigration, visa, customs, trade or maritime matters. When submitting a report in relation to immigration or visa concerns, the form offers a range of category options including unlawful immigration assistance or scam agents, criminal or character concerns, domestic and family violence, employer or sponsor breaches, visa overstayers and vulnerable visa holders. Practitioners should note that where an individual or business is providing immigration assistance or advice without being a registered migration agent or Australian legal practitioner, Border Watch is the appropriate channel through which to report the matter to the Australian Border Force (ABF). Reports may be submitted anonymously. The ABF will assess and investigate information received; however, those submitting a report should be aware that feedback on the outcome of any investigation is unlikely to be provided. Click here: Border Watch Online Report
Several states and territories have released updates on their skilled migration nomination programs, with key deadlines approaching ahead of the 2026-27 program year commencing 1 July 2026. FNQ DAMA Reminder: Upcoming TSMIT and CSIT Changes The Cairns Chamber of Commerce has reminded employers and migration professionals that the TSMIT and CSIT will be indexed on 1 July 2026. Those preparing labour agreement requests, variation requests or nomination applications with salaries close to the current thresholds (including those relying on the 90% concession under the FNQ DAMA) should note the following timing requirements: Variation requests generally take longer to process than initial endorsement requests, as the Department must execute the varied agreement before nominations can be lodged. Also, an information session on the FNQ DAMA for employers and migration professionals will be held on 3 June 2026. Tasmania: Final Invitation Round and ROI Closure The Tasmanian Government has updated that Registrations of Interest (ROIs) across all pathways of the Tasmanian Skilled Migration State Nomination Program will close at 5pm on Wednesday 3 June 2026, following significant demand for nomination places. The final invitation round for the 2025–26 program year is set to take place on Thursday 4 June 2026. Whilst new nomination applications may continue to be lodged and will be assessed by Migration Tasmania, prospective applicants should be aware that nomination places are now limited. It is therefore not guaranteed that all applicants will secure a nomination before the close of the current program year. Where an application is approved after all available nomination places have been allocated, the applicant will be nominated following Tasmania’s receipt of its 2026-27 program year allocation. ROIs that do not receive an invitation prior to the conclusion of the 2025–26 program year will be retained in the Application Gateway for six months and considered for invitation upon commencement of the 2026-27 program. Click here: Program Update – May 2026 – Update on ROI Closing Date ACT – Skilled Migration Invitation Round The ACT Government has released the results of its latest Canberra Matrix invitation round held on 6 May 2026, with invitations issued to the highest-ranked Matrix submissions in each occupation based on monthly allocation, submission timing, occupation cap and demand. The breakdown is as follows: Matrix nominating Pathways Sc 190 Sc 491 Doctorate Streamlined Pathway 22 8 Canberra residents Small Business Owners 3 (minimum matrix score 105) 14 (minimum matrix score 100) 457/482 visa holders 1 0 Critical Skill Occupations 130 87 Overseas applicants Critical Skill Occupations — 38 33 The minimum ranking score is an indication only and not a guarantee that an invitation was issued. The government will not respond to requests for information on ranking or the likelihood of receiving an invitation. Matrix will not be prioritised or issued invitations based on personal circumstances. This includes, but is not limited to, visa expiry dates or a change in circumstances including critical birthdays. Click here: Canberra Matrix – Invitation Round South Australia Invitations – May 2026 The South Australian Government issued nomination invitations on 21 May 2026, comprising 161 invitations for sc190 and 77 invitations for sc491. The total number of nomination invitations issued for the 2025-26 program year to date now stands at 1,767 for Subclass 190 and 1,086 for Subclass 491. This is the final scheduled invitation round for the current program year. Additional activity may occur to optimise use of remaining nomination places. For more information click here
The Education Services for Overseas Students (Suspension of Applications for Registration to the National VET Regulator) Determination 2026 temporarily halts applications made under sections 9 and 10H of the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act). The suspension will remain in place for 12 months from 19 May 2026. The suspension has been introduced in response to integrity concerns in the VET sector, including the entry of low-quality or non-genuine providers and concentrated growth in certain course areas. During this period, the Regulator will focus on clearing its existing application backlog, conducting deeper integrity checks and monitoring market behaviour. The suspension does not apply to government schools, state or territory owned or controlled VET providers, or Table A providers. Applications to add a new delivery location for an already-registered course, or to add a superseding course where the provider holds existing approval, are also exempt. Click here: Education Services for Overseas Students (Suspension of Applications for Registration to the National VET Regulator) Determination 2026
The Department of Home Affairs has updated State and Territory nomination figures for April 2026, covering Subclass 190 and Subclass 491 visas. The number of EOIs that have received nominations from state and territory governments from 1 July 2025 to 30 April 2026 are following: Visa Subclass ACT NSW NT Qld SA Tas VIC WA Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) 604 1,894 741 1,254 911 988 2,237 1,443 Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) – State and Territory Nominated 653 1,049 438 630 594 367 656 1,067 Click here: Skill Select – Invitation rounds outcomes
LEGENDcom has released its latest Migration and Citizenship stack updates for 8 May 2026, covering amendments to several Policy and Procedural Instructions (PIs) across Migration Regulations, the Migration Act, and Citizenship policy. Migration The following PIs have been updated under the Migration stack: Policy – Migration Regulations – Divisions Policy – Migration Regulations – Schedules Policy – Migration Act Deletions Citizenship The following policy has been updated under the Citizenship stack:
The Criminal Code (Prohibited Hate Group — White Australia) instrument specifies the organisation — known by various names including White Australia, WA, WAP, and White Australia Party — as a prohibited hate group under the Criminal Code. This listing marks the second designation made under the prohibited hate group provisions, which were introduced into Australian law through the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Act 2026. The instrument commenced on 16 May 2026 and carries implications across both criminal law and migration frameworks established under the 2026 Act. Click here: Criminal Code (Prohibited Hate Group—White Australia) Regulations 2026
The prohibited hate group provisions were introduced into Australian law through the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Act 2026. Under these provisions, the relevant legislative instrument listing Hizb ut-Tahrir as a prohibited hate group commenced on 6 March 2026. The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security subsequently conducted a review of the listing instrument as part of its oversight function. Having completed that review, the Committee found no grounds on which to disallow the listing. As a result, the designation of Hizb ut-Tahrir as a prohibited hate group under the Criminal Code remains in full force. The listing carries significant implications in both the criminal law and migration contexts, given the intersection of the Criminal Code provisions with the Migration Act under the framework introduced by the 2026 Act.
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.