Migration Programme Reshaped by Australia’s Federal Budget – 13 May 2026

While the overall cap of 185,000 permanent migration places remains unchanged, the allocation of these places will be restructured based on occupational and regional priorities effective December 2026.

A significantly larger share—over 129,000 places—will now be reserved for on-shore applicants, leaving only about 55,000 places available for off-shore applicants.

The two positive deciding factors  if your Occupation is in demand and your onshore location.

Additionally, the Points Test for the General Skilled Migration (GSM) pathway for off-shore applicants is being redesigned, which may affect your points score under the revised system.