2026–27 Budget Migration Changes: What the New Quotas Mean for Visa Applicants

Australia's 2026–27 migration program officially began on 1 July 2026. The total number of permanent visa places in the country is still 185,000, the same as it’s been for the past three years. But a number of things have changed.

Employer-sponsored visa places are up by almost a third, while regional places have been cut nearly in half. Sponsors now need to pay more to meet salary thresholds, and visa fees have increased as well.

This guide breaks down the changes, category by category, now that the settings are in force. For the full Budget story, see our earlier Federal Budget 2026 breakdown. Here, we focus on the numbers that affect your specific visa pathway.

At Matilda Migration, our team is made up of both migration agents and lawyers, so whichever category has shifted for you, you can get the right expert help. 

The Total Hasn't Moved, But Where the Places Go Has

With Australia's permanent migration program set at 185,000 places, there’s the same roughly 70:30 split between skilled and family visas as before. The government announced these settings in the 12 May 2026 Budget.

Here are the changes that came into effect on 1 July 2026, once applications started being assessed against the new numbers.

Skilled Visa Places Have Shifted, Even Though the Stream Total Hasn't

The Skilled Migration Program stays at roughly 132,240 places overall, but three categories inside it moved sharply, according to Home Affairs' 2026–27 planning levels.

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If your pathway is an employer-sponsored 186 visa, or a self-sponsored 189 visa, there are meaningfully more places available this year than before.

But competition is tighter for the regional (491), as that category has lost more than half its places.

If you're mapping out a longer-term route to residency across any of these pathways, our guide to permanent residency in Australia walks through how they connect.

‍Matilda Tip: If you're on a 482 visa working towards the Temporary Residence Transition stream, this is a good year to move on your 186 nomination. There's more room in that category than there was in 2025–26.

Family Stream Numbers Have Nudged, Not Jumped

The Australian Family Program stays at roughly 52,460 places, with the shifts inside it smaller than on the skilled side.

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Partner and child visas are “demand driven” and Home Affairs treats the planning number as an estimate, not a hard ceiling. A genuine, well-evidenced application isn't turned away because a quota has been filled.

Parent and other family visas work differently. Those categories are capped, so this year's reduction means longer queues for parents waiting to join family in Australia.

Sponsor Salary Thresholds Are Higher From 1 July

From 1 July 2026, employers sponsoring a worker on a 482 or 186 visa must meet higher salary thresholds set by Home Affairs.

The Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT), which is the minimum for most 482 and 186 nominations, has risen from $76,515 to $79,423.

The Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) applies to the 482 Specialist Skills stream and has gone up from $141,210 to $146,576.

Both increases reflect a 3.8% indexation tied to national wage growth, and they apply to nominations lodged on or after 1 July 2026. A nomination lodged earlier keeps the threshold that applied at the time.

For a broader look at what employers need to stay compliant once a worker is sponsored, see our guide to sponsorship obligations.

Visa Fees Have Also Gone Up

Visa application charges increased on 1 July 2026, as they do every year: 

• A partner visa (subclass 820/801) now costs $11,710 for the main applicant
• A 482 Core Skills visa costs $4,015
• A 186 visa, whether through Direct Entry or the Temporary Residence Transition stream, costs $6,140. 

From 1 July 2026, eligible citizens of Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste pay a reduced fee on some visas, including the partner and 482 visas.

Why It Helps to Have a Migration Agent and a Lawyer on Your Case

Whichever category has shifted for you this year, your application still needs to meet Home Affairs' current criteria, on time, at the new cost.

The Matilda team includes both migration agents and lawyers. See why we're different for how our approach compares with agent-only firms.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do the 2026–27 quota changes affect visa applications I've already lodged?

No. The new planning levels and salary thresholds apply to nominations and applications made on or after 1 July 2026. If you lodged before that date, your application is assessed under the settings that were in place when you applied.

Why did regional visa (subclass 491) places drop so much?

The government redirected places toward the Employer-Sponsored (186) and Skilled Independent (189) categories for 2026–27, cutting Regional from 33,000 to 14,110 places as part of the same reshuffle.

Is the $11,710 partner visa fee the same for everyone?

It's the standard fee for most main applicants. From 1 July 2026, eligible citizens of specified Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste pay a lower fee.

Does the Core Skills Income Threshold apply to my 186 visa nomination?

Yes, for nominations lodged on or after 7 December 2024. The CSIT increased to $79,423 from 1 July 2026 and applies to both the 482 Core Skills stream and 186 nominations.

Will these figures change again before June 2027?

The planning levels are set for the full 2026–27 program year and aren't typically revised mid-year. Salary thresholds and visa fees are reviewed and indexed annually, with the next change due 1 July 2027.

What This Means for Your Application

The 2026–27 migration program hasn't grown, but it has been redistributed category by category.

Employer-sponsored and skilled independent applicants have more room to move this year, regional and parent-visa applicants have less and everyone is paying more (whether that's a sponsor's salary threshold or a visa fee).

None of that changes what a strong application needs to look like. If anything, when places are divided up this tightly, getting it right the first time matters more.

‍For applicants: check your eligibility for a free assessment against the current 2026–27 settings.

‍For employers: Talk to us about sponsorship to see how the new salary thresholds affect your next nomination.‍

This is general information, not personal migration advice.