Specialist law firm Roam Migration Law has issued a client alert via Mondaq outlining the twin impact of higher income thresholds and steeper visa-application charges that took effect on 1 July 2026. While the 3.8 per cent indexation of salary floors protects local wages, the visa-charge hike – around 25 per cent for subclass 482, 186 and 494 applications – is well above inflation and could add more than AUD 2,000 per head.
![Employers hit with 25 % rise in skilled-visa charges, Roam Migration warns]()
As businesses search for ways to offset these rising costs, many mobility teams are turning to VisaHQ for support. VisaHQ’s Australian portal aggregates up-to-the-minute government fee schedules, processing times and document checklists, allowing employers to model accurate budget scenarios and coordinate high-volume lodgements through a single, user-friendly dashboard—streamlining compliance while containing administrative spend.
A primary Skills-in-Demand (482) application now costs AUD 4,015, while an Employer Nomination Scheme (186) application is AUD 6,140. Roam Migration Law urges multinationals to revisit mobility costings, especially where large project teams are due to mobilise in Q3 FY 26-27. Finance departments may need to top up trust accounts held with the firm or risk lodgement delays if funds are short at the moment of submission. The alert also notes that Citizenship and Administrative Review Tribunal fees have risen in line with indexation, nudging an AAT review of most visa decisions to AUD 3,727. Employers contemplating a refusal appeal should weigh the higher filing cost in their risk calculations. Finally, Roam reminds sponsors that salaries must meet both the new threshold and the Annual Market Salary Rate test. Internal equity reviews – benchmarking overseas assignees to Australian peers – are now essential for compliance.
As businesses search for ways to offset these rising costs, many mobility teams are turning to VisaHQ for support. VisaHQ’s Australian portal aggregates up-to-the-minute government fee schedules, processing times and document checklists, allowing employers to model accurate budget scenarios and coordinate high-volume lodgements through a single, user-friendly dashboard—streamlining compliance while containing administrative spend.
A primary Skills-in-Demand (482) application now costs AUD 4,015, while an Employer Nomination Scheme (186) application is AUD 6,140. Roam Migration Law urges multinationals to revisit mobility costings, especially where large project teams are due to mobilise in Q3 FY 26-27. Finance departments may need to top up trust accounts held with the firm or risk lodgement delays if funds are short at the moment of submission. The alert also notes that Citizenship and Administrative Review Tribunal fees have risen in line with indexation, nudging an AAT review of most visa decisions to AUD 3,727. Employers contemplating a refusal appeal should weigh the higher filing cost in their risk calculations. Finally, Roam reminds sponsors that salaries must meet both the new threshold and the Annual Market Salary Rate test. Internal equity reviews – benchmarking overseas assignees to Australian peers – are now essential for compliance.
