17/09/2026
General information only — not migration advice. Contact Aspect Migration for advice tailored to your circumstances.
The Government has announced proposed changes across skilled, student, visitor and working holiday visa programs.
Key proposals include:
1. A redesigned skilled migration points test, with selected housing and construction trades expected to receive a points uplift comparable to a university qualification.
2. New visa-processing priorities for construction, agriculture, fisheries, resources and teaching.
3. Changes to student and graduate visas, including limits on bringing family members, subject to proposed exceptions for Pacific and ASEAN nationals and certain courses such as PhDs.
4. A “progression only” approach for students. Students may be able to move to a higher qualification, such as Bachelor to Master, but repeated course changes or downgrading may be restricted.
5. Ballots for second and third Working Holiday Maker visas, with proposed caps of 45,000 for second-year visas and 5,000 for third-year visas.
6. Stronger action against non-genuine protection claims, visa overstaying and migration-agent conduct that encourages misuse of the system.
7. Visitor visas – proposed no further stay condition
One of the most significant proposals is to attach a no further stay condition to future visitor visas. If implemented, this could prevent affected visitors from applying for most further visas while they are in Australia. They may instead need to leave Australia and apply from offshore.
Until the legal details are released, do not assume that every visitor visa will carry a no further stay condition. Timing and individual circumstances will be critical.
However, important details are still required before this can be applied in practice:
- Will the condition apply to all visitor visa subclasses and all future applicants, or will there be exceptions?
- Which condition will be imposed, what waiver arrangements will be available, and what applications—other than protection visas—will be excluded?
- When will the changes take effect? No confirmed commencement date has been announced.
- Some changes may require new regulations, legislative instruments or amendments to Ministerial Directions; others may require legislation to pass Parliament first.
The announcement indicates that existing visa holders will not be affected by the proposed visitor visa measure. It is intended to apply to visas granted in the future.
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