The Department of Home Affairs has reminded successful ballot entrants for Australia’s new Pacific Engagement (subclass 192) Visa that 30 December is the final day to submit their applications for the 2024-25 programme year. A notice posted on pev.gov.au confirms the Pacific Engagement Visa Support Service is closed for routine holidays from 23 December 2025 to 5 January 2026, but staff will monitor urgent emails on 29 and 30 December to help applicants lodge before midnight.
The Pacific Engagement Visa offers up to 3,000 permanent-residence places annually for citizens of 11 Pacific island nations and Timor-Leste, selected by electronic ballot. Those drawn in August must provide a valid passport and pay the A$325 visa-application charge by today’s deadline or forfeit their spot. Applicants unable to secure the required formal job offer in Australia can withdraw and re-enter next year’s ballot.
The compressed timeline has generated anxiety across the region. Community organisations in Port Moresby and Suva report extended queues for police checks and English-language tests, while several employers have expressed concern that offers may lapse before visas are granted. Migration agents predict a spike in incomplete submissions and are urging candidates to upload at least core identity documents to stop their ImmiAccount from auto-lapsing.
![Last-day rush for Pacific Engagement Visa as support service confirms holiday closure]()
VisaHQ’s online platform can simplify these last-minute hurdles, guiding Pacific Engagement Visa candidates through document checklists, translations and secure passport delivery. Visit https://www.visahq.com/australia/ for specialised assistance with this process and a wide range of other Australian visa categories.
For Australian businesses facing skills shortages—particularly in agriculture, aged-care and hospitality—the programme is a strategic pipeline of labour mobility that complements the short-term PALM scheme. However, HR teams must prepare onboarding support, as visa holders arrive with permanent-residence rights and can switch employers freely after the first year, altering retention dynamics.
The Department said it will publish country-by-country allocation statistics in February and open registrations for the 2025-26 ballot in April 2026, with minor rule tweaks expected after stakeholder consultations.
The Pacific Engagement Visa offers up to 3,000 permanent-residence places annually for citizens of 11 Pacific island nations and Timor-Leste, selected by electronic ballot. Those drawn in August must provide a valid passport and pay the A$325 visa-application charge by today’s deadline or forfeit their spot. Applicants unable to secure the required formal job offer in Australia can withdraw and re-enter next year’s ballot.
The compressed timeline has generated anxiety across the region. Community organisations in Port Moresby and Suva report extended queues for police checks and English-language tests, while several employers have expressed concern that offers may lapse before visas are granted. Migration agents predict a spike in incomplete submissions and are urging candidates to upload at least core identity documents to stop their ImmiAccount from auto-lapsing.
VisaHQ’s online platform can simplify these last-minute hurdles, guiding Pacific Engagement Visa candidates through document checklists, translations and secure passport delivery. Visit https://www.visahq.com/australia/ for specialised assistance with this process and a wide range of other Australian visa categories.
For Australian businesses facing skills shortages—particularly in agriculture, aged-care and hospitality—the programme is a strategic pipeline of labour mobility that complements the short-term PALM scheme. However, HR teams must prepare onboarding support, as visa holders arrive with permanent-residence rights and can switch employers freely after the first year, altering retention dynamics.
The Department said it will publish country-by-country allocation statistics in February and open registrations for the 2025-26 ballot in April 2026, with minor rule tweaks expected after stakeholder consultations.
