Updates

If you apply for a review of a decision to refuse or cancel a protection visa, you now need to pay an upfront fee. You do not have to pay this fee if: - you are a non-citizen in immigration detention, or - you can combine your application with another application where a fee has already been paid. The new fee requirements follow changes to the Migration Regulations 1994. If you started an online application for a review of a protection decision, but did not submit it before 12:00 am (AEDT) Sunday 1 November 2026, you will need to start a new application and pay the upfront fee of $1,863.50 before you can submit it. You can read more details about the fee change in the recent announcement.

From Sunday 1 November 2026, you will need to pay an upfront fee when applying for a review of a protection visa decision. This follows recent changes to the Migration Regulations 1994. This means you must pay a fee of $1,863.50 at the time of applying for a review of: - a decision to refuse or cancel a protection visa - a decision made under section 197D of the Migration Act that a protection finding would no longer be made about a person. If payment is not made when you apply, you will not be able to submit an online application unless the fee does not apply to you. Who does not need to pay a fee? You may be exempt from paying any fee if: - you are a non-citizen in immigration detention, or - your application is combined with another application where a fee has already been paid. Who can get a refund? If you are successful in your review of your protection decision, or if we decide that your application is invalid, you are entitled to a full refund of the application fee. If you apply on or after Sunday 1 November 2026 and withdraw your application, we can only refund the application fee in very limited circumstances. Online applications prior to 1 November 2026 If you have started an online application for a review of a protection decision but do not submit it before 12:00 am (AEDT) on Sunday 1 November 2026, you will need to start a new online application form and pay the upfront fee before you submit it. If your application for review was lodged with the Tribunal before 1 November 2026 and is not successful, you will generally be required to pay a fee. If you are successful in your review, in most cases you won’t be required to pay a fee. If you are required to pay a fee, we will send you an invoice which must be paid within 7 days. If you are not sure if this fee will apply to you, find out more information on our website or contact us.

You can contact us at info@vetassess.com.au, and we will respond from Wednesday 4 November.

ROIs invited to apply for nomination on 29/10/2026: Subclass 190 - 64 invitations - 15 Gold invitations and 49 Green invitations Subclass 491 - 26 invitations - 1 Gold invitation and 25 further invitations The lowest scores invited: Subclass 190 - 316 points Subclass 491 - 75 points Number of ROIs on hand (ROIs with a status of Submitted after the invitation round has taken place): Subclass 190 - 823 ROIs Subclass 491 - 630 ROIs Nomination places available: Subclass 190 - 873 places Subclass 491 - 654 places Nomination applications lodged but not yet decided: Subclass 190 - 93 applications Subclass 491 - 88 applications Invitations issued but application not yet lodged: Subclass 190 - 100 invitations Subclass 491 - 65 invitations Oldest nomination application lodged and not yet allocated to a case officer - 29/09/2026 Six-week rolling average invitation point score: Subclass 190 - 326 points Subclass 491 - 78 points Upon review of the rolling average, we have made some adjustments to the lowest point score required to gain nomination (at assesment). We are now using a six-week rolling average (instead of three-month). Where an ROI is invited, all priority attributes claimed are examined and if the information provided in the ROI and nomination application is found to be true and correct, nomination will be approved. Where one or more priority attributes are not verified: If the revised point score is above the lowest score threshold in the most recent invitation round, it may still be approved. However, if the point score falls below the most recent invitation round and also falls below the rolling six-week average, it will be declined. Where candidates are found to have intentionally claimed priority attributes to artificially inflate their score, the application will be declined. Any Gold pass holder that does not meet the Gold priority attribute will be declined, regardless of their total point score.

PUBLISHED: 26 OCTOBER 2026 Victoria’s 2026–27 skilled visa nomination program is now open for Registrations of Interest for the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190). Each year, the Australian Government provides nomination allocations for state and territory governments for the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) and the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491). Victoria’s 2026–27 subclass 190 places For 2026–27, Victoria has been provided with 900 nomination places for the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190). For information about eligibility and how to submit a Registration of Interest, visit the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) page. Victoria’s 2026–27 subclass 491 places Victoria’s 2026–27 nomination places for the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491) have not yet been finalised. Registrations of Interest for subclass 491 nomination are not currently being accepted. Further information will be published once Victoria’s 2026–27 subclass 491 nomination places are confirmed. Further information is available on the 2026–27 Skilled Migration Visa Nomination Program page. For enquiries, you can contact us through the Live in Melbourne website external link . You can also subscribe to the Live in Melbourne newsletter external link to stay up to date with the latest program updates.

ROIs invited to apply for nomination on 23/10/2026: Subclass 190 - 38 invitations - 7 Gold invitations and 31 Green invitations Subclass 491 - 32 invitations - 2 Gold invitations and 31 further invitations The lowest scores invited: Subclass 190 - 317 points Subclass 491 - 76 points Number of ROIs on hand (ROIs with a status of Submitted after the invitation round has taken place): Subclass 190 - 850 ROIs Subclass 491 - 616 ROIs Nomination places available: Subclass 190 - 902 places Subclass 491 - 670 places Nomination applications lodged but not yet decided: Subclass 190 - 100 applications Subclass 491 - 76 applications Invitations issued but application not yet lodged: Subclass 190 - 72 invitations Subclass 491 - 72 invitations Oldest nomination application lodged and not yet allocated to a case officer - 28/09/2026 Lowest point score required to gain nomination (at assessment): Subclass 190 - 416 points Subclass 491 - 81 points This is a rolling three-month average of the lowest point score resulting in an invitation. Where an ROI is invited, all priority attributes claimed are examined and if the information provided in the ROI and nomination application is found to be true and correct, nomination will be approved. If one or more priority attributes are not verified, and the point score falls below the lowest score threshold, the application will be declined. Where candidates are found to have intentionally claimed priority attributes to artificially inflate their score, the application will be declined. Any Gold pass holder that does not meet the Gold priority attribute will be declined, regardless of their total point score.

Please note that Hobart Show Day is Thursday 22 October 2026, which would be our normal ROI invitation day. Due to the public holiday, ROI invitations on this week will take place on Friday 23 October 2026. ROIs invited to apply for nomination on 15/10/2026: Subclass 190 - 45 invitations - 12 Gold invitations and 33 Green invitations Subclass 491 - 32 invitations - 1 Gold invitations and 31 further invitations The lowest scores invited: Subclass 190 - 319 points Subclass 491 - 88 points Number of ROIs on hand (ROIs with a status of Submitted after the invitation round has taken place): Subclass 190 - 878 ROIs Subclass 491 - 612 ROIs Nomination places available: Subclass 190 - 944 places Subclass 491 - 682 places Nomination applications lodged but not yet decided: Subclass 190 - 103 applications Subclass 491 - 64 applications Invitations issued but application not yet lodged: Subclass 190 - 83 invitations Subclass 491 - 74 invitations Oldest nomination application lodged and not yet allocated to a case officer - 26/09/2026 Lowest point score required to gain nomination (at assessment): Subclass 190 - 427 points Subclass 491 - 81 points This is a rolling three-month average of the lowest point score resulting in an invitation. Where an ROI is invited, all priority attributes claimed are examined and if the information provided in the ROI and nomination application is found to be true and correct, nomination will be approved. If one or more priority attributes are not verified, and the point score falls below the lowest score threshold, the application will be declined. Where candidates are found to have intentionally claimed priority attributes to artificially inflate their score, the application will be declined. Any Gold pass holder that does not meet the Gold priority attribute will be declined, regardless of their total point score.

Tentative Invitation Round Schedule 2026-27 Week starting 12 October 2026 (Subclass 190 only) Week starting 25 January 2027 Week starting 22 March 2027 Week starting 24 May 2027 Please note that invitation round dates are tentative and subject to change without notice, depending on final allocation of nomination places and operational requirements. Any changes will be published on this website. Canberra Matrix Invitation Round: 12 October 2026 The ACT has a fixed number of nomination places available each month (pro-rata against the annual allocation). The highest ranked Matrix in each occupation were invited to apply for ACT nomination. The cut‑off for selection depended on the remaining monthly allocation, the date and time of Matrix submission, occupation cap and demand. The greater the demand for an occupation, the higher the rank of the Matrix score invited. The minimum ranking score is an indication only and not a guarantee that an invitation was issued. Invitations will not be issued if you have an active application in the system; or if you have previously received ACT nomination. Canberra Matrix submissions in occupations in critical sectors may be prioritised. Requests for ranking information Invitations are not guaranteed. We will not respond to requests for information on ranking or the likelihood of receiving an invitation. Matrix will not be prioritised or issued invitations based on personal circumstances. This includes, but is not limited to, visa expiry dates or a change in circumstances including critical birthdays. Matrix nominating Doctorate Streamlined Pathway 190 nominations: 54 invitations 491 nominations: 0 invitations Canberra residents Matrix nominating Small Business Owners 190 nominations: 18 invitations 190 minimum matrix score: 120 491 nominations: 0 invitation 491 minimum matrix score: - Matrix nominating Critical Skill Occupations 190 nominations: 126 invitations 491 nominations: 0 invitation Overseas applicants Matrix nominating Critical Skill Occupations: 190 nominations: 63 invitation 491 nominations: 0 invitation Download a copy of the Matrix invitation ranking 2025-2026 Allocation of ACT Nomination Places: Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa: 800 places Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visa: 800 places The allocation for the 2026-27 financial year has not yet been announced. The website will be updated when this information becomes available. Application Count @ 30 June 2026 Total approvals: 1600 approvals 190 Nominations: 800 approvals 491 Nominations: 800 approvals Total refusals: 229 applications 190 Nominations: 111 refusals (12.2%) 491 Nominations: 128 refusals (13.8%) Approvals by residency status since the last invitation round ACT Resident: 1417 approvals (89%) Overseas Resident: 183 approvals (11%) Remaining Allocation 2025-2026 Total allocation remaining: 0 nomination places 190 Nominations: 0 491 Nominations: 0

PUBLISHED: 13 OCTOBER 2026 New Registration of Interest and visa nomination application fees from 2026–27 From 2026–27, fees for service will apply to submit Registrations of Interest and visa nomination applications for the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) and the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491). 2026–27 fees for service The following fees apply to the 2026-27 program: 2026–27 FEES EXCLUDING GST INCLUDING GST* Registration of Interest $60 $66 Subclass 190 nomination application** $180 $198 Subclass 491 nomination application** $180 $198 *Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 10% applies if the applicant is in Australia at the time of payment. GST is calculated and applied when the application form is completed. **This fee is payable only if you are invited to apply for nomination and submit a nomination application. The Registration of Interest fee is charged once per program year. If you withdraw and submit a new Registration of Interest within the same program year, you will not be charged again. Further information about fees and payment terms is available on the Fees page. How Registrations of Interest are selected for invitation to apply for nomination More detailed information has been published on the Live in Melbourne website about how Registrations of Interest are selected for invitation to apply for Victorian nomination. This includes: the weighting of the selection factors in the Victorian Points Test priority industries and any additional industry factors considered when selecting applicants for nomination invitation Applicants are encouraged to read this information before submitting a Registration of Interest or nomination application. More information is available on the Victorian Points Test page. Existing Registrations of Interest If you submitted a Registration of Interest in a previous program year and wish to be considered for nomination in 2026-27, you must log in to the Live in Melbourne portal external link and submit a new Registration of Interest when the program opens. 2026–27 program opening Information about the 2026–27 program will be published on the Live in Melbourne website when available. For enquiries, you can contact us through the Live in Melbourne website external link . You can also subscribe to the Live in Melbourne newsletter external link to stay up to date with the latest program updates.

SUBJECTS: Immigration, Counter terrorism, Multicultural and security grants, Bondi Royal Commission, Tax on trusts, Fuel SUBJECTS: Immigration, Counter terrorism, Multicultural and security grants, Bondi SUBJECTS: Royal Commission, Tax on trusts, Fuel ANDREW CLENNELL: Joining me live now is the Home Affairs and Immigration Minister, Tony Burke. Thanks so much for joining me, Tony Burke. And you join me following the opposition attempting to one up you this week with their net migration policy, saying they can achieve a net migration target of 100,000 in their first two years in office. What do you make of that promise? ANDREW CLENNELL: MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS TONY BURKE: Well, you might be able to achieve those numbers, but in terms of something that works for the Australian people, it would be a disaster. But you look at what they've actually done and effectively they've declared war on the skilled migrants who Australians need. Australia absolutely has shortages in aged care, in health, with doctors, with nurses, in construction, and effectively, the way they've designed it, those skilled workers are exactly the people who we would now not get. What they've done - just to give you the specifics - is said, okay, you get the best possible person - which would be someone who's actually trained in Australia, so they're trained to exactly our standards say in nursing. And instead of having a graduate visa where they can then find a job in Australia and start working straight away, Angus Taylor says, ‘oh no, they'll have to go back offshore’. Do we really think we'll get them back? The actions that they're taking mean that you'll get fewer aged care workers, you'll get fewer nurses, fewer doctors, fewer construction workers. How on earth that's meant to help Australia, I don't know. The total numbers do need to come down and we've been bringing them down. They're already 45 per cent below the peak. They're continuing to come down. But if you don't do this in a sensible, managed way, if you just take the sledgehammer to skilled migration, the people who suffer are every Australian who needs services and in particular people who need homes built. MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS TONY BURKE: CLENNELL: Are you hopeful the opposition will be prepared now to pass some of the legislation you want, like around an expression of interest system for those seekingstudent visas and in an attempt to get rid of asylum seekers quicker. Will you talk to them about this this week? CLENNELL: BURKE: Look, the door has remained open. They're the ones who told us it was off. But the door remains open. The reality is the more levers you've got, the more effectively you can target so that you're doing everything in the best possible way for the Australian economy. The two examples you gave, you just look at it logically. An expression of interest framework means that you no longer have the entire system basically being demand driven and you get a whole lot of extra controls for government that allows you to target for the economy. The other one you referred to, I don't for the life of me see how it's reasonable that someone- You know, we've got an asylum system for someone where you genuinely are here in Australia and to go home would be incredibly dangerous for you. That's exactly what we did, for example, with the Iranian women's football team, where we made an offer of that nature. That's what you've got a system there for. But why on earth someone who's been visa hopping from the UK can at the end find out they've got no valid visa, then put in a protection claim and get to stay here going through the appeals system for another nine years, I just think it's ridiculous and we can't fix that without legislation. It's not massive, overwhelming numbers, but it's just wrong and it's something that we should legislate to be able to fix. But I've had no indication from the opposition that they're back at the table. BURKE: CLENNELL: I want to play you something now. Your predecessor in the portfolio, Claire O'Neil, said about the immigration system in 2024. She made similar comments in 2023. CLENNELL: CLAIRE O'NEIL: We have come to office with the migration system in a categorica mess. Don't take it from me. Take it with the numerous eminent Australians who have looked at this system and said that because of 10 years of wilful neglect, we have a migration system which Dr. Martin Parkinson said was fundamentally broken. Now we are attempting to pursue the national interest, to protect the community and to give our government legislative powers that we need to help manage this system. CLAIRE O'NEIL: CLENNELL: It's a mess, she says. Why haven't you fixed it, then? You've been in power four years, Tony Burke. Why hasn't your government fixed it? CLENNELL: BURKE: There's a series of issues we've had to deal with, as you'd know. Last term we had the High Court decision where we suddenly had a whole series of people who'd been in detention with criminal offences who we weren't able to deport back to their host country and the High Court insists they had to be out in the community. When I came into the job, I put absolutely everything into making sure we had a way of dealing with that. We ended up with a new arrangement with Nauru, or now they call themselves Naoero. It's a tough arrangement, but I took the view that absolutely everything when I first came into the job should be about community safety and I don't resile from that. One of the things that Clare O' Neill refers to in that, though, goes to changes that happened in 2015 under the previous government, where basically their compliance division was gutted. What that meant was people would get right to the end, would be told they're not allowed to stay in Australia and some people just wouldn't go. We were no longer bringing people in and cycling them through the detention system to get them to voluntarily depart. We've started that again now, that's part of the announcement. Once again, the simplicity of immigration is meant to be you're deciding who arrives, who stays and who leaves. There are a series of decisions that were made under the previous government which have been complex because we had to deal with everything at once. It's like a colander, if you only plug a few of the holes, all the water still runs through. So, you had to work through to have something completely comprehensive. We're still shy of that because of what you mentioned with the legislation, but we're pretty close and effectively, it means we're now able to manage the system much more effectively than what was handed to us. BURKE: CLENNELL: What was Claire O' Neil doing? CLENNELL: BURKE: Well, the issues that I've referred to were issues that started back then. We had a series of decisions from the High Court which created a genuine issue of community safety, and we had to act on that. There's a whole lot that comes to the integrity of the immigration system, but you put commun [Transcript truncated for notification]

ROIs invited to apply for nomination on 08/10/2026: Subclass 190 - 37 invitations - 13 Gold invitations and 24 Green invitations Subclass 491 - 24 invitations - 2 Gold invitations and 22 further invitations The lowest scores invited: Subclass 190 - 323 points Subclass 491 - 89 points Number of ROIs on hand (ROIs with a status of Submitted after the invitation round has taken place): Subclass 190 - 897 ROIs Subclass 491 - 605 ROIs Nomination places available: Subclass 190 - 954 places Subclass 491 - 691 places Nomination applications lodged but not yet decided: Subclass 190 - 71 applications Subclass 491 - 51 applications Invitations issued but application not yet lodged: Subclass 190 - 80 invitations Subclass 491 - 69 invitations Oldest nomination application lodged and not yet allocated to a case officer - 24/09/2026 Lowest point score required to gain nomination (at assessment): Subclass 190 - 440 points Subclass 491 - 81 points This is a rolling three-month average of the lowest point score resulting in an invitation. Where an ROI is invited, all priority attributes claimed are examined and if the information provided in the ROI and nomination application is found to be true and correct, nomination will be approved. If one or more priority attributes are not verified, and the point score falls below the lowest score threshold, the application will be declined. Where candidates are found to have intentionally claimed priority attributes to artificially inflate their score, the application will be declined. Any Gold pass holder that does not meet the Gold priority attribute will be declined, regardless of their total point score.

What Student visa changes are being introduced and why? From 2 October 2026, new rules change: who can apply and be granted a Student visa (subclass 500) or Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) while in Australia whether family members can be included in a Student visa application. The Australian Government is changing the Student visa program to strengthen its integrity and uphold the quality of education. The changes will also better align the program with its main purpose: temporary stays in Australia for study. The reforms aim to reduce misuse of the Student visa program. They will not affect the ability of genuine students to study in Australia. Could these changes affect me or my visa? The changes may affect you if you: plan to apply for a Student visa while you are in Australia want to include family members in a Student visa application or add them later are considering changing education providers. The changes do not affect current Student visas. Applying for a Student visa in Australia From 2 October 2026, most temporary visa holders can no longer apply for a Student visa while in Australia. This includes Working Holiday Maker and Skills in Demand visa holders. If you are a student visa holder you generally cannot apply for another Student visa while in Australia unless an exemption applies. Exemptions apply to: students sponsored by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) or the Australian Department of Defence students applying to undertake a doctoral degree or primary or secondary school studies students whose education provider cannot deliver their course, known as a provider default students who need up to 12 additional months to complete their studies with the same education provider students who have completed the main course covered by their current visa and are progressing to a higher-level course. What you need to know If you cannot apply while you are in Australia, you can still apply for a Student visa from outside Australia. If you need to apply for a Student visa outside Australia, you must also be outside Australia when your visa is granted. If you already hold a Student visa, these changes do not affect your current visa. Applying for a Student Guardian visa in Australia If you are planning to apply for a Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) while in Australia, you should check whether the new application requirements affect you. Current Student Guardian visa holders can continue to apply for another Student Guardian visa while in Australia. Including family members in your visa application If you are applying for your first or a further Student visa, you can no longer include family members in your application unless an exemption applies. The changes aim to better align Student and Temporary Graduate visas with their main purposes: temporary stays in Australia for study and post-study work experience. Exemptions apply to: doctoral students nationals of Pacific countries and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries fully-funded foreign government scholarship recipients students sponsored by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) or the Australian Department of Defence. Existing families in Australia Some arrangements will help avoid separating families already in Australia. You may include the same family members in a new application if: they were included in your visa or visa application before 2 October 2026, and you are eligible to apply for a further Student visa in Australia. What you need to know You cannot add family members after your Student visa has been granted. There are no exemptions to this rule. Student visa applications lodged before 2 October 2026 will continue to be assessed under the rules in place when they were lodged. This includes applications that already included family members. If you cannot include family members in a new Student visa application, you should consider how this may affect your family arrangements before deciding whether to apply. Changing education providers If you are considering changing education providers, it is important to know that further changes to Student visa settings are being developed. A new Transfer stream within the Student visa subclass is intended to be introduced. Student visa holders who change education providers will be required to apply for a new Transfer stream within the Student visa subclass. The Australian Government is still developing details for the Transfer stream. Further information will be made public at the appropriate time. Temporary Graduate visa Restrictions on the ability of Temporary Graduate visa applicants to include family members in their application will be introduced. Further information will become available as this reform is progressed. Temporary Graduate visa holders continue to have access to unlimited work rights and can use their Australian qualifications to access graduate work opportunities and progress their careers in Australia or overseas. Students planning to apply for a Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa should be aware that the application charge increased to A$5,750 on 1 July 2026. Eligible applicants from Pacific Island countries, Timor-Leste and ASEAN member states were excluded from the charge increases. What you should do next If you think these changes may affect you, there are steps you can take now to better understand your options. Understand how the changes affect you before making visa, study, travel or relocation plans. Check whether the new requirements may affect any plans to apply for a Student visa while you are in Australia. Consider how the family member changes may affect your plans. Review official visa requirements before changing your education provider or course. Use the Department of Home Affairs Document Checklist Tool to check the financial capacity and English language evidence you may need for a Student visa application. If you need advice about your individual visa circumstances, contact a migration agent registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority. Learn more For the latest information, visit Study Australia – Your guide to visas or Department of Home Affairs official website: Department of Home Affairs – Student Visa Reforms Department of Home Affairs – Student visa (subclass 500) Department of Home Affairs – Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) Department of Home Affairs – Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) Department of Home Affairs – Document Checklist Tool