Australia Announces New Visa Fees and Income Requirements for Skilled Worker Immigrants

• Australia's Department of Home Affairs introduced major immigration changes effective July 1, 2026, covering income thresholds, visa fees, and processing timelines
• The Core Skills Income Threshold for sponsored workers rose to AUD $79,423, equivalent to roughly US$55,639 annually
• The Australian Border Force also launched a national compliance crackdown on Training Visa arrangements, conducting over 100 site visits in its first month

Australia has significantly tightened its skilled migration programme, with the Department of Home Affairs rolling out a broad package of changes that took effect on July 1, 2026.

The reforms affect salary requirements, application costs, processing timelines, and visa compliance enforcement.

New income thresholds for Skilled Visa categories

Workers seeking employer sponsorship through the Subclass 482 Core Skills Stream or the Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme must now satisfy a Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) of AUD $79,423, up from the previous AUD $76,515.

For South African applicants, that figure translates to approximately R915,288 per year, placing these positions well beyond the reach of most entry-level candidates.

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Those applying under the Subclass 482 Specialist Skills Stream face an even steeper benchmark, with the minimum now set at AUD $146,576, compared to the earlier AUD $141,210.

At the highest level, the Fair Work High Income Threshold, which governs certain age exemptions under the Subclass 186, now stands at AUD $190,100.

All revised thresholds apply exclusively to new nominations lodged from July 1, 2026; existing visa holders and applications submitted before that date remain unaffected.

Visa fees and processing times also increase

Alongside the income changes, the cost of lodging applications rose considerably.

The Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) now carries a main applicant fee of AUD $6,140, up from AUD $4,910.

The Skills in Demand visa (Subclass 482) increased to AUD $4,015 from AUD $3,210. The sharpest rise affected the Bridging Visa B (Subclass 020), which climbed from AUD $190 to AUD $575, an increase of more than 200%.

Processing timelines remain demanding. The Subclass 186 permanent residency pathway can take up to 14 months, while the Core Skills Stream of the Subclass 482 may require up to 10 months.

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Specialist Skills Stream applications under the same visa are currently being processed within 57 days.

On the compliance front, the Australian Border Force launched a national operation targeting the Training Visa (Subclass 407).

Within the first month alone, officers completed more than 100 site visits and identified fraudulent training plans as well as unapproved workplace duties being carried out by visa holders. A further 200 regional visits are scheduled as the operation continues.

In a separate development, the Department of Home Affairs closed its Seoul immigration processing office in South Korea, following similar closures in Washington D.C., Dubai, and Singapore. Subclass 400 applications from South Korea are now being redirected through other international processing hubs, a move that may result in longer waiting periods for affected applicants.

Australia lists 8 grounds for foreign visa refusals

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Australia had listed the specific character-related grounds on which a foreign national's visa could be cancelled.

The assessment framework is anchored in section 501(6) of the Migration Act 1958. Officers reviewing individual cases are guided by Ministerial Direction No. 110.

Source: YEN.com.gh