The annual National Migration Conference kicked off online today, 1 December 2025, drawing more than 1,200 registered migration agents, in-house mobility specialists and HR leaders seeking clarity on Australia’s fast-evolving visa landscape. Keynote speaker Marsha Bassily dissected recent changes to student, skilled and family visas before officials from the Department of Home Affairs provided fresh statistics on the new Skills-in-Demand visa and foreshadowed processing-time targets for 2026.
Home Affairs confirmed that the permanent Migration Program will remain capped at 185,000 places for 2025-26, with two-thirds allocated to the skilled stream and a strong regional focus. Officials also revealed that 63 per cent of Core Skills stream nominations are now decided within 42 days, down from 78 days in July, crediting the ‘Check Twice, Submit Once’ initiative for reducing incomplete applications.
![National Migration Conference 2025 opens with Department of Home Affairs live briefing]()
For corporate attendees, the biggest takeaway was confirmation that the much-anticipated ‘Digital Right-to-Work’ pilot will launch in April 2026, allowing employers to verify visa status via API calls rather than VEVO screenshots – a change expected to simplify onboarding and compliance audits.
The Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) used the platform to preview stronger continuing-professional-development requirements and a new client-money escrow model aimed at curbing fraudulent advisers. Practitioners were urged to familiarise themselves with Ministerial Direction 115, which from 14 November introduced three priority ‘lanes’ for student-visa processing linked to provider enrolment caps.
Conference materials and recordings will be available to registered participants next week. Mobility teams unable to attend are advised to review the slides, as they contain granular data on SID visa occupations, regional concession usage and forthcoming policy consultations.
Home Affairs confirmed that the permanent Migration Program will remain capped at 185,000 places for 2025-26, with two-thirds allocated to the skilled stream and a strong regional focus. Officials also revealed that 63 per cent of Core Skills stream nominations are now decided within 42 days, down from 78 days in July, crediting the ‘Check Twice, Submit Once’ initiative for reducing incomplete applications.
For corporate attendees, the biggest takeaway was confirmation that the much-anticipated ‘Digital Right-to-Work’ pilot will launch in April 2026, allowing employers to verify visa status via API calls rather than VEVO screenshots – a change expected to simplify onboarding and compliance audits.
The Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) used the platform to preview stronger continuing-professional-development requirements and a new client-money escrow model aimed at curbing fraudulent advisers. Practitioners were urged to familiarise themselves with Ministerial Direction 115, which from 14 November introduced three priority ‘lanes’ for student-visa processing linked to provider enrolment caps.
Conference materials and recordings will be available to registered participants next week. Mobility teams unable to attend are advised to review the slides, as they contain granular data on SID visa occupations, regional concession usage and forthcoming policy consultations.
