Australia Immigration Rule Changes in 2025

Australia is now inviting fully vaccinated immigrants and travellers from all parts of the world under various visa categories, i.e. Skilled visa, study visa, family sponsored visa, Visitor visa, etc. If you are applying for Australian visa this year, you must know the process requirements and rule changes applicable. Australia has the quite straightforward point-based system of immigration to allocate permanent residency to the skilled and talented people from overseas.

In last few months, the Australian government has employed few vital changes in the visa rules and process requirements, which will crucial for the individuals applying for visa in Australia this year.

Australia Immigration and Visa Rule Changes 2025

Find below the latest Australia immigration rule changes applicable in 2025. To read the key visa rule changes in detail, visit and explore the Immigration News page on Visas Avenue website.

Key Changes to Australian Immigration

• New Skills in Demand Visa:
  • The new Skills in Demand visa replaces the 482 Visa from December 7, 2024.
  • The Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL) will guide eligibility for the Core Skills stream of the new visa and the Direct Entry stream of the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186).
• TSMIT Increase:
  • The Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) has increased to AUD 73,150 from AUD 70,000.
  • This change aims to protect the Australian labor market by ensuring adequate compensation for skilled workers.
• 482, 457, and 494 Visa Changes:
  • Conditions for these visas are being revised to address worker exploitation and enhance productivity.
  • Changes include extended grace periods for visa holders to find new sponsors or make departure arrangements if they cease employment with their current sponsor.
• Temporary Graduate 485 Visa:
  • The minimum English language requirement is increasing from IELTS 6.0 to 6.5 overall, with a minimum score of 5.5 in each band.
• Skilled Migration Points Test Review:
  • The government is reviewing the Skilled Migration Points Test to attract the most highly-skilled candidates to Australia.
  • This review will impact Skilled Visas (subclasses 189, 190, and 491).
• Reduced Work Experience for 482 Visa:
  • The work experience requirement for the 482 visa has been reduced from two years to one year for all applicants effective November 23, 2024.

Australia to Invite 185,000 Candidates for Permanent Migration in 2024-25

On May 14, 2024, the Australian Government announced the planning levels for the 2024–25 Permanent Migration Program, setting a cap of 185,000 places. Skill Stream to get 132,200 places, nearly 71% of the program), while the Family Stream will get 52,500 places, nearly 28% of the program.

Increase in the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) to $73,150

From 1 July 2024, the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) will increase from $70,000 to $73,150. New nomination applications from this date will need to meet the new TSMIT of $73,150 or the annual market salary rate, whichever is higher.

Increase to the Financial Capacity Requirement for Student and Student Guardian visas

From 10 May 2024, Australia has increased the amount of money that Student and Student Guardian visa applicants need to have to be eligible for the visa. The financial capacity requirement has been updated to align with a proportion (75 per cent) of the national minimum wage.

New English Language Requirements

The Australian Government has made key amendments to English Language Requirements for Student and Temporary Graduate visas.  This change was introduced as part of the Australian Government’s Migration Strategy released on 11 December 2023 and applies to all Student and Temporary Graduate visa applications lodged on or after 23 March 2024.

Australia Student Visa- Higher scores in English proficiency tests

To obtain the Australia Student Visa, the Aussie government has employed new guidelines, mandating that international students attain elevated scores in English proficiency exams. Greater scrutiny will be applied to subsequent visa applications seeking extensions. This applies specifically to the IELTS (International English Language Testing System).

• English proficiency requirement increased for Graduate visa applicants from a score of 6.0 to 6.5
• English proficiency requirement increased for Student visa applicants from a score of 5.5 to 6.0

Work Visa- New Skills in Demand Visa

The Aussie government has unveiled plans to implement a new visa, known as the Skills in Demand Visa, with the intention of replacing the current Temporary Skill Shortage Visa. This new visa aims to provide workers with increased flexibility in transitioning between employers and establish transparent pathways to permanent residency for those who aspire to pursue such opportunities, as per the assessment.

This 4-year visa will feature 3 distinct pathways, each delineated by skill level.

• The initial route is designed for individuals with specialized skills, attracting highly skilled professionals predominantly from fields such as technology and energy. To qualify for this pathway, applicants must have a minimum annual income of $135,000 in any occupation, excluding trade workers, machinery operators, drivers, and labourers.
• The second option concentrates on fundamental skills crucial to meeting workforce demands, featuring a "simpler" occupation list that will be regularly updated to adapt to the evolving dynamics of Australia's job market.
• The third pathway, still in the development stage, aims to address essential skills and prioritizes tackling labor shortages, especially among individuals with lower incomes.

Ending the COVID-19 concession period for All Visa Subclasses

The temporary COVID-19 concession period, initiated in early 2020 amid global travel restrictions and economic challenges, is scheduled to conclude on November 25, 2023. Impacted visa categories will be:

• TGV
• Employer Sponsored visas
• Skilled Regional Visa subclass 887
• Family visas
• Business Innovation and Investment Program visas
• Safe Haven Enterprise Visa

Australia 2024–25 Migration Program

The Australian Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is seeking public input for the planning of the 2024–25 Migration Program. The program aims to achieve a balance between economic, social, and demographic goals, prioritizing the nation's long-term interests. In the current 2023–2024 program, Australia has set a target of 190,000 permanent residents, maintaining the traditional 70/30 split between the Skill and Family streams, except for the pandemic-affected years 2020–21 and 2021–22. Share your thoughts to contribute to Australia's future migration planning.

New and Improved Nomination pathways of NSW Regional Migration

Enhanced Nomination Paths for NSW Regional Migration Announced New South Wales (NSW) introduces upgraded pathways for skilled migrants seeking nomination for the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa Subclass 491. This nomination enables skilled individuals to reside, work, and study in designated regional areas specified by NSW for a five-year period.

Australia Expands PR Opportunities for Temporary Skilled Sponsored Workers

Australia is broadening pathways to Permanent Residency for Sponsored Skilled Temporary Workers. Effective November 25, 2023 (pending regulatory approval), the Australian Government is set to implement changes to the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa subclass 482 and the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream of the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) visa subclass 186.

NSW Shifts Focus to Priority Sectors Over Skilled Occupation Lists

To address evolving skill shortages in the Australian state of New South Wales more effectively, the NSW migration approach is transitioning from the previous practice of releasing a list of eligible ANZSCO unit groups. Instead, a new strategy is being adopted, concentrating on specific sectors that closely align with skills shortages in NSW. These sectors identified by NSW migration include the following:

• Health 
• Education 
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT) 
• Infrastructure  
• Agriculture

Australia updated Financial Capacity Requirements for Student Visas. 

Starting from October 1, 2023, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), Australia has raised the financial capacity prerequisites for international students applying for student visas. Applicants will now need to show a minimum savings balance of AU$24,505 to ensure they can cover their annual living expenses.

Opening of South Australia and New South Wales Migration Programs The prominent Australian states, namely South Australia (SA) and New South Wales (NSW), have started accepting new knapplications for their Skilled Migration Nomination programs for the 2023-2024 program year.

Commencement of Queensland's State Nomination Skilled Migration Program for 2023-24. Migration Queensland formally announced the start of its state nomination skilled migration program for the 2023-24 period on September 5, 2023. This year, Queensland has received a relatively modest allocation of 1,550 skilled nominations, and with the absence of a Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) allocation from the Department of Home Affairs in Australia, competition for Queensland's state-nominated program is anticipated to be intense.

• Key changes to WA State Nominated Migration Program

The key changes includes the following:

• Same or equal invitation ranking for Interstate and Overseas candidates;
• prioritised invitations for applicants with an occupation deemed critical in a WA industry sector (as per the WA State nomination invitation ranking system); and
• reduced employment requirements for applicants invited through a WA building and construction industry sector occupation (as classified on the WA State nomination Occupation lists).

New Australia Immigration Rule changes applicable from 1 July 2023

• Australia has allocated nearly 70% of places to skilled migrants in the 2023‑24 permanent Migration Program to skilled migrants
• The Aussie govt. offering extra 2 years of post‑study work rights to Temporary Graduate visa holders with a few specially specific degrees, to improve the pipeline of skilled labour in key sectors
• Rising the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold to $70,000 to make certain skilled migration settings are better targeted
• Exempting international students working in the aged care sector from the capped fortnightly work hour cap until 31 December 2023
• Additional training places for Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme workers in important sectors for the Pacific and Timor‑Leste and where there are job shortages in Australia.
• Under a new scheme based on India-Australia agreement, from 1 July 2023 Indian graduates studying in Australian tertiary institutions on a student visa can apply to work in Australia without visa sponsorship for up to 8 years.
• 2-year extension of post-study work rights to international graduates: With effect from July 1st, 2023, Australian government to provide an extension of 2 years for post-study work rights to international higher education graduates with eligible qualifications.  Moreover, the permissible work hour’s limit for foreign students in the Australia will be raised from the current 40 hours to 48 hours per fortnight, providing even more flexibility to balance work and study.
• Quick visa processing for Teachers and healthcare workers: The Department of Home Affairs (DHA), Australia has discontinued using the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL) to rank skilled visa applications. As per DHA, the skilled visa applications are processed as per government policy priorities, which are mentioned in Ministerial Direction No. 100. Hence, now, visa application of Teachers and healthcare workers will be processed on priority.
• NSW- Australia has eased Nomination Criteria for Subclass 190 visa: New South Wales (NSW) Immigration has removed the earlier available points scores and work experience instructions for the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) due to greater availability of the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) by DHA, Australia.
• South Australia has received Nomination Allocation of over 8,000 Places: Australian government has confirmed the final nomination allocation levels of South Australia (SA) for 2022-23. The SA will issue state nomination to more than 8,000 candidates in the year 2022-23. The SA has received these nominations for key visa categories, i.e. Subclass 190, Subclass 491 and Subclass 188 visa.
• Australia has updated requirements for temporary visa applicants in Australia: The Government of Australia has reformed the requirements for temporary visa applicants in Australia. . The government has mainly update the requirement regarding the medical examination requirement for Temporary visa applicants in Australia.

• Changes in MSA of TRA: The Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) has announced a few vital changes to its Migration Skills Assessment (MSA) program guidelines. These new instructions will reflect changes made to employment requirements for all new MSA applications lodged from 4 October 2022. 

• Key skilled migration updates: Australia has announced key skilled migration updates in the recent Jobs and Skills Summit held at the start of September 2022. These updates are:
• The cap for 2022-23 permanent skilled migration has been raised to 195,000 from 160,000 places
• This resulted in 34,000 places in the regions for this year, i.e. 9,000 more than the formerly announced.
• Structuring a big lift under the state and territory sponsored visas – from 11,000 previous year to 31,000. 

• Removal of Covid-19 restrictions: On 6 July 2022, Australia removed all Covid-19 related restrictions. It implies that travellers to Australia no longer need to complete a Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD) to declare their COVID-19 vaccination status. 

• Federal and State governments are accepting applications Federal as well as almost all state governments of Australia are now accepting the applications from overseas immigration applicants.

• Australia’s new migration program year Starts on 1st July: Australia’s migration program year starts on 1st July every year. In 2022, Australia has a target to accept 160,000 new immigrants under Skills, Family and Special eligibility streams.
• Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) subclass 482 visa holders: Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) subclass 482 visa holders in the short-term stream can now apply for PR Visa via the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream of the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) subclass 186 visa. These provisions also applicable to Temporary Work (Skilled) subclass 457 visa holders with an occupation on the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL).
• Subclass 457 visa holders’ age exemption: Eligible legacy subclass 457 visa holders can access an age exemption when applying through the Temporary Residence Transition (TRT) stream of the Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) subclass 186 visa.
• Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) subclass 482 (Short-term stream) visa holders: Eligible former TSS visa holders, who have experience of working in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic, can now apply for a third short-term stream TSS visa while in Australia.
• Visa Fee Revised from 1st July: Australia has revised the visa fee for most skilled, visit an