Migrating to Australia in 2025 and 2026: What you need to know

If you are planning to move to Australia, the 2025 to 26 program year may seem inconsistent at first glance. Officially, Australia’s Migration Program remains steady at 185,000 places. At the same time, state and territory nomination allocations have been reduced significantly and were announced much later than in previous years.

On top of that, new visa pathways have been introduced, including the Skills in Demand visa and the National Innovation Visa (NIV). The NIV in particular has existed formally for about a year, but it is still finding its rhythm in practice.

In this article, we provide an overview of the most important developments for 2025 and 2026.