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Ethos Migration Lawyers We are an immigration law firm focused on assisting local and international businesses with their Australian Immigration requirements.

Ethos Migration Lawyers is an award winning Australian immigration law firm focused on assisting individuals, families, and businesses with their Australian Immigration requirements. Our Immigration Lawyers and Registered Migration Agents also assist the needs of individuals and families navigating their Australian migration needs. Ethos Migration Lawyers focuses solely on Australian Immigration Law and our team of experienced immigration lawyers and registered migration agents are dedicated to providing ethical, transparent, streamlined and affordable migration advice and representation to our clients.

Victoria has released its update on the 2026 - 27 Skilled Visa Nomination Program, and there are a few changes anyone co...
14/10/2026

Victoria has released its update on the 2026 - 27 Skilled Visa Nomination Program, and there are a few changes anyone considering a subclass 190 or 491 visa should know about.

For the first time, applicants will pay a $60 (+ GST if applicable) fee to lodge a Registration of Interest. There is also a $180 (+ GST) fee for a nomination application, but you only pay this if you are invited.

Victoria has also published the full weightings of the Victorian Points Test, so applicants can now see exactly how they are ranked.

There is no pass mark, and your score is based on factors such as age, English, experience, qualifications and earnings from skilled employment in Victoria.

If you lodged a Registration of Interest last year, keep in mind that it won't carry over, so you will need to lodge a new one once the program opens.

With the 2026–27 program not yet open, now is a good time to check your score, see whether a better English result is within reach and get your documents ready.

We've summarised the changes, who is affected and what you may considering doing next in our latest article:

https://zurl.co/ME66v

The Victorian Government has released an important update on its Skilled Visa Nomination Program for the 2026 - 2027 program year.

The Australian Government has confirmed that Australia’s permanent Migration Program will remain at 185,000 places for 2...
18/05/2026

The Australian Government has confirmed that Australia’s permanent Migration Program will remain at 185,000 places for 2026–27.

On the surface, there hasn't been any change however the composition of the program has shifted significantly.

Here are the key takeaways:

- Skill stream continues to dominate – approx. 132,240 places (~70%)
- Strong onshore focus with around 129,590 places allocated to applicants already in Australia
- Employer-sponsored visas have increased significantly highlighting the persistent skill shortages across many of Australia's industries
- Regional visa allocations have been reduced
- Family stream remains stable continuing to support partner and child pathways

We have broken down our take on the planning levels here: 👉 https://zurl.co/Yqe1D

The Australian Government has confirmed the 2026–27 Migration Program planning levels, maintaining a total of 185,000 permanent visa places. While the headline number remains unchanged, the structure and allocation of these places provide important insight into where opportunities sit for individu...

The Federal Budget 2026–27 has been released, with several key developments impacting Australia’s migration program.From...
13/05/2026

The Federal Budget 2026–27 has been released, with several key developments impacting Australia’s migration program.

From a continued focus on onshore applicants, to tighter targeting of highly skilled offshore talent.

For employers, it means greater competition, increased compliance measures, and a stronger reliance on employer sponsored pathways.

We have prepared a concise breakdown of the key changes and what they mean in practice in our recent article below.

The Australian Government has delivered the Federal Budget for 26–27, outlining its plans for expenditure and policy impacting Australia’s migration program.

Ongoing disruption in the Middle East is continuing to affect international travel routes relied upon by Australian busi...
06/03/2026

Ongoing disruption in the Middle East is continuing to affect international travel routes relied upon by Australian businesses. While the immediate focus is often on flight logistics, these disruptions can also create unexpected immigration and compliance risks.

Australian migration law does not automatically provide concessions or extensions due to overseas conflict or travel disruption. Where a visa holder intended to depart Australia before their visa expiry but is unable to do so, they must still maintain lawful status.

For organisations with internationally mobile workforces or sponsored visa holders, now is an appropriate time to review visa expiry dates and assess whether any proactive steps may be required.

Ethos Migration Lawyers is closely monitoring developments and is available to provide advice where travel disruption may impact visa status or employer compliance.

https://zurl.co/D4Se8

Ongoing disruption in the Middle East is having flow‑on effects well beyond the immediate conflict zone. Flight cancellations, airspace closures and instability at major transit hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi are preventing some visa holders in Australia from departing as planned. For Aust...

A newly released FOI document provides insight into how the Department of Home Affairs might be handling Skilled Indepen...
10/12/2025

A newly released FOI document provides insight into how the Department of Home Affairs might be handling Skilled Independent (subclass 189) invitation rounds. Dated May 2025, this internal policy Meeting Minute describes a reform package for the 189 program and introduces a four-tier occupation structure that prioritises occupations by rank.

The tiers rank occupations by priority and explain many of the outcomes we are now seeing:

Tier 1 – highest value, long training, high scarcity roles
Tier 2 – government priority occupations under Ministerial Directions
Tier 3 – diverse occupations to maintain a broad skills mix
Tier 4 – oversupplied occupations including most ICT and accounting roles

We have observed that recent invitation rounds align closely with this structure, with applications in Tier 1 and Tier 2 receiving faster invites than applicants in Tier 4 occupations.

The document also indicates several broader shifts:

- More frequent and predictable invitation round

- Greater transparency about priorities and timing

- Recalibrated occupation ceilings managed across the entire skilled program

- Earlier identification of priority skills using SkillSelect data

Employer sponsorship, state nomination and alternative skilled pathways are therefore highly important for applicants with low-tier occupations to consider.

Read our article below for more information.

https://zurl.co/f3HUb

A newly released Freedom of Information (FOI) document provides insight into how the Department of Home Affairs might be handling Skilled Independent (subclass 189) invitation rounds. Dated May 2025, this internal policy Meeting Minute describes a reform package for the 189 program and introd...

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