An internal briefing note released late on 31 December and circulated on 2 January confirms that Australia will keep its permanent Migration Program ceiling at 185,000 visas for the 2025-26 programme year, resisting calls from the opposition to slash numbers by 25 per cent. Roughly 70 per cent of places will again flow to the Skill stream, cementing the government’s pivot towards talent attraction that began in 2023.
Within the fixed headline figure, officials will use sharper tools—higher English-language scores, salary thresholds and tighter occupation lists—to tilt outcomes toward three priority clusters: health and aged care, clean-energy engineering and advanced manufacturing. State nomination quotas reflecting the new priorities will be issued in February once updated population forecasts land.
For employers, the steady cap offers planning certainty but at a higher cost-to-hire. The Core Skills Income Threshold on employer-sponsored visas rose above AUD 76,000 on 1 July 2025 and is tipped to climb again before mid-year. Regional hospitals and renewable-energy projects, already operating on slim margins, will need to revisit budgets and accelerate recruitment cycles.
![Government Holds 2025-26 Permanent Migration Cap at 185,000 Places]()
VisaHQ can help organisations and individual applicants navigate these shifting requirements by offering real-time guidance on Australian visa categories, document preparation and submission tracking. Whether you need to interpret new salary thresholds or secure priority skills assessments, our specialists streamline each step: https://www.visahq.com/australia/
Mobility managers should audit labour-market-testing evidence, refresh occupation caveats and encourage in-country candidates to complete skills assessments early. Canberra has also left the door open to a mid-year re-balance between the Skill and Family streams, meaning allocations could shift if labour-market conditions soften.
Finally, Home Affairs hinted that a streamlined “Talent & Innovation” points visa—designed to consolidate niche pathways such as the Global Talent visa—could debut by July 2026. Employers seeking R&D or deep-tech talent may find a faster, more flexible route if the new class materialises.
Within the fixed headline figure, officials will use sharper tools—higher English-language scores, salary thresholds and tighter occupation lists—to tilt outcomes toward three priority clusters: health and aged care, clean-energy engineering and advanced manufacturing. State nomination quotas reflecting the new priorities will be issued in February once updated population forecasts land.
For employers, the steady cap offers planning certainty but at a higher cost-to-hire. The Core Skills Income Threshold on employer-sponsored visas rose above AUD 76,000 on 1 July 2025 and is tipped to climb again before mid-year. Regional hospitals and renewable-energy projects, already operating on slim margins, will need to revisit budgets and accelerate recruitment cycles.
VisaHQ can help organisations and individual applicants navigate these shifting requirements by offering real-time guidance on Australian visa categories, document preparation and submission tracking. Whether you need to interpret new salary thresholds or secure priority skills assessments, our specialists streamline each step: https://www.visahq.com/australia/
Mobility managers should audit labour-market-testing evidence, refresh occupation caveats and encourage in-country candidates to complete skills assessments early. Canberra has also left the door open to a mid-year re-balance between the Skill and Family streams, meaning allocations could shift if labour-market conditions soften.
Finally, Home Affairs hinted that a streamlined “Talent & Innovation” points visa—designed to consolidate niche pathways such as the Global Talent visa—could debut by July 2026. Employers seeking R&D or deep-tech talent may find a faster, more flexible route if the new class materialises.
