The start of 2026 has included a number of updates, with further changes upcoming, to Australian immigration law. Most relevant to businesses who employ or will hire visa holders, this includes:
- increases from 1 July 2026 (indexation) to the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT), Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) and Temporary Skills Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT);
- changes to the validity requirements for Training (Subclass 407) (Training) visa applications; and
- increased lodgement fees for the Graduate (Subclass 485) (Graduate) visa applications.
Increases to CSIT, SSIT and TSMIT
From 1 July 2026, the CSIT, the SSIT, and the TSMIT will increase as part of the automatic annual indexation process. Income thresholds are indexed annually to ensure fair remuneration for overseas skilled workers.
The CSIT and SSIT thresholds are relevant to the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) (SID) visa and the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) (ENS) visa, whilst the TSMIT applies to the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) (subclass 494) (SESR) visa and the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (subclass 187) (RSMS) visa.
From 1 July 2026, the indexed thresholds will be:
| TSMIT | CSIT | SSIT |
| $79,499 (up from $76,515) | $79,499 (up from $76,515) | $146,717 (up from $141,210) |
As these thresholds apply based on the date of a lodged nomination application, it is important for businesses to be aware of which threshold applies to their application, and prioritise applications which may be adversely impacted by threshold changes on 1 July. A failure to meet the relevant income threshold will result in refusal of the nomination, regardless of an applicant’s skills or experience.
Changes to valid application requirements for Training visas
On 11 March 2026 the Migration Amendment (Training Visas—Sponsorship Requirements) Regulations 2026 came into effect, meaning that an application for a Training visa cannot be validly made until the:
- nominator has become a Temporary Activities Sponsor; and
- the associated nomination for the Training visa is approved.
This represents a notable departure from the earlier framework, under which a Training visa application could be lodged validly even if the related sponsorship or nomination applications had been submitted but were still processing. That approach mirrored the framework used for the SID visa.
As a result of the amendments, individuals who are currently in Australia may not have adequate time to wait for approval of the Training nomination before submitting a valid visa application, particularly where their existing visa is nearing expiry. At the time of writing, processing times for Training nomination applications can exceed twelve months.
Employers and applicants relying on the Training visa should take these changes into account in their planning for continuous employment in Australia whilst visas process. In some cases, applicants may need to leave Australia and apply for the Training visa from offshore or explore other visa pathways that allow for a valid onshore application.
Lodgement fee increase for Graduate visas
From 1 March 2026, visa application charges for the Graduate visa have increased by 100% for the majority of nations who are referred to as “non-eligible passport holders”. The previous visa applicant charges continue to apply to “eligible passport holders”:
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Fiji
- Kiribati
- Nauru
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- Republic of the Marshall Islands
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Timor-Leste
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu
A summary table of the costs are as follows:
| Eligible passport holders | Non-eligible passport holders | |
| Primary Applicant | $2,300.00 | $4,600.00 |
| Additional Applicant (18+) | $1,150.00 | $2,300.00 |
| Additional Applicant (under 18) | $580.00 | $1,160.00 |
Need advice regarding these changes?
For businesses, the constantly shifting immigration landscape means that integrating migration requirements into workforce planning is essential. Employees also need to be aware of changes that may impact their ability to obtain visas in the future. Every situation is unique and depends on visa status, timing, and employer arrangements. For further information, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].
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