Australia’s Department of Home Affairs has quietly confirmed that the overall cap for the 2025-26 permanent Migration Program will remain at 185,000 places – identical to the ceiling that applied in 2024-25. In a briefing note released late on 31 December and published on 1 January, officials said around 70 per cent of places would again be reserved for the Skill stream, locking-in the government’s pivot toward talent attraction that began in 2023.
Within that headline figure, three priority clusters have been singled out: health and aged-care, clean-energy engineering, and advanced manufacturing. Ministers say these areas will receive “first call” on state and territory nomination quotas that are due to be issued in February, once updated population forecasts are available from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
![Australia keeps permanent migration ceiling at 185,000 for 2025-26]()
While the top-line number is unchanged, the government will use levers inside individual subclasses to sharpen the profile of successful applicants. English-language score requirements and salary thresholds across the Temporary Skill Shortage (482), Employer Nomination Scheme (186) and proposed Skills-in-Demand visa will all rise in the first quarter. Officials also confirmed that data-matching with the Australian Taxation Office will be expanded, signalling a tougher stance on salary underpayments and sham positions.
For employers, the decision provides certainty on workforce-planning but at a higher cost-to-hire. Regional hospitals and renewable-energy projects – two sectors already struggling with thin margins – will need to budget for higher minimum salaries if they wish to sponsor workers. Mobility managers should audit labour-market-testing records now and encourage in-country candidates to complete skills assessments early, before a possible mid-year points recalibration.
The government has left the door open to a mid-program re-balance between the Skill and Family streams if labour-market conditions change. It is also hinting that a new “Talent & Innovation” visa, designed to consolidate niche talent pathways into one points-tested stream with faster processing, could be unveiled by July 2026.
Within that headline figure, three priority clusters have been singled out: health and aged-care, clean-energy engineering, and advanced manufacturing. Ministers say these areas will receive “first call” on state and territory nomination quotas that are due to be issued in February, once updated population forecasts are available from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
While the top-line number is unchanged, the government will use levers inside individual subclasses to sharpen the profile of successful applicants. English-language score requirements and salary thresholds across the Temporary Skill Shortage (482), Employer Nomination Scheme (186) and proposed Skills-in-Demand visa will all rise in the first quarter. Officials also confirmed that data-matching with the Australian Taxation Office will be expanded, signalling a tougher stance on salary underpayments and sham positions.
For employers, the decision provides certainty on workforce-planning but at a higher cost-to-hire. Regional hospitals and renewable-energy projects – two sectors already struggling with thin margins – will need to budget for higher minimum salaries if they wish to sponsor workers. Mobility managers should audit labour-market-testing records now and encourage in-country candidates to complete skills assessments early, before a possible mid-year points recalibration.
The government has left the door open to a mid-program re-balance between the Skill and Family streams if labour-market conditions change. It is also hinting that a new “Talent & Innovation” visa, designed to consolidate niche talent pathways into one points-tested stream with faster processing, could be unveiled by July 2026.
Source: VisaHQ Global Mobility News
