15/05/2026
Six measures in the 2026-27 Federal Budget will reshape Australian migration more than the 185,000 headline figure suggests.
Onshore applicants now receive 70% of permanent places. The Points Test is being rewritten to favour younger and more qualified candidates. Skills assessment and trades recognition are being overhauled with $85.2 million of new funding. The character grounds for visa refusal and cancellation have widened. A new pilot signals tightening at the protection visa judicial review gateway. The Working Holiday Maker program is moving to a ballot.
Our analysis of each measure — and the cohort each one affects — is on the blog:
https://augustineandco.com/blog/federal-budget-2026-27-and-australian-migration-a-strategic-briefing-for-the-year-ahead/
—
Augustine & Co. Immigration Lawyers ·
+61 3 7020 6514 · augustineandco.com