September 2026 Immigration Update - A Visa-by-Visa Guide to the New Rules

On 17 September 2026, the Minister for Home Affairs announced a broad package of migration changes aimed at lowering Net Overseas Migration (NOM) — the net number of people added to Australia's population through migration each year.

The Government is targeting a NOM of 245,000 in 2026–27 and 225,000 a year from 2027–28, down from 292,100 in the year to March 2026. The Minister acknowledged the reforms do not go as far as some want, since deeper change would need legislation. Below is what actually changes, visa by visa.

Student and Graduate Visas

• Most students and graduates can no longer include family members as secondary applicants.

• Those already in Australia with secondary applicants are not affected by this change.

• Exceptions remain for students from Pacific and ASEAN nations, and for PhD candidates.

• Moving up the qualification ladder (for example, Bachelor to Master's) is supported through a new visa application.

• Transferring to a lower-tier provider will require a fresh visa application, in line with existing policy.

  
  

Working Holiday Maker Visas (Subclasses 417 and 462)

• A ballot system is being introduced for second- and third-year visas.

• The regional work requirement still applies: 88 days for a second year, and six months for a third year.

• The number of places is being cut sharply:

  • Second-year visas capped at 45,000 (down from 57,000 this year).

  • Third-year visas capped at 5,000 (down from around 31,000 this year).

  • Processing returns to a normal pace for applicants who have already met the regional work requirement.

  • UK applicants will face slower processing, as they are not required to complete regional work and the cohort has grown from about 17,000 before the pandemic to roughly 80,000 onshore today.

    
    

Visitor Visas

• A No Further Stay condition (8503) will apply to most future visitor visa grants.

• In plain terms, this blocks the holder from lodging most further visa applications while they remain in Australia — the main exception being a protection visa.

• The aim is to reduce the number of people who arrive as visitors and then apply onshore for another visa, such as a partner visa.

• Anyone who already holds a visitor visa, or is already in Australia on one, is not affected.

• A likely upside: partners applying from offshore may find it easier to be granted visitor visas for longer periods to spend time with their partner in Australia.

Skilled Visas

• A new points test gives greater weight to housing and construction qualifications.

• In-demand trades will be able to score points broadly on par with a university degree — a significant shift for tradespeople previously disadvantaged under the points framework.

• Processing priorities are expanding to add agriculture and the resources and fisheries sectors.

• Construction and teaching feature prominently alongside healthcare as priority areas for faster processing.

  
  

Compliance and Enforcement (All Visa Types)

• Further sanctions are signalled for migration advisers who knowingly support applications without merit.

• Character and conduct rules are being updated to strengthen protections for victims of child crime and family violence.

• On the estimated 77,000 visa overstayers, the Government will return to a pre-2015 approach of detention followed by voluntary departure within weeks — designed to encourage people to leave, rather than raid-style enforcement.

• Extra resourcing includes 100 additional compliance officers and 250 additional detention beds, with a former Melbourne quarantine facility floated as a possible site.

  
  

What It Means for You

The direction is consistent. Genuine study, skilled work in high-need sectors, and lawful travel remain well supported. What is being tightened is movement that stretches a visa beyond its original purpose — whether through secondary applicants, onshore applications after arriving as a visitor, or extended stays.

Crucially, many of these measures hinge on when you apply. Rules that affect only future grants, ballot caps that shrink year on year, and shifting processing priorities all reward careful planning. If you are considering a study pathway, an extension, a partner application, or a skilled visa, it is worth reviewing your position against the new settings before you commit to a course of action.