Australian Immigration Updates: July 2025

LATEST IMMIGRATION NEWS

🪙 VETASSESS skills assessment fees will increase in line with CPI, effective 22 October 2025. These changes apply to both general and occupational assessments. Some of the updated fees include:

• Full skills assessment: $1,096+GST (current fee: $1,070+GST)

• Priority processing: $825+GST (current fee: $806+GST)

• Post-Vocational Education Work Visa (Subclass 485) assessment: $416+GST (current fee: $406+GST)

• Appeal: $1,082+GST (current fee: $1,057+GST)

📰 Registrations of Interest for New South Wales nomination for the National Innovation Expression of Interest (EOI) have now opened. The EOI process for the NIV sets out four priority groups that the Department will consider in issuing invitations to apply for the visa. “Priority Group 2” captures candidates who have been nominated “by an expert Australian Commonwealth, State or Territory Government“. You can read more information about the NSW government’s criteria for nomination in our article here, and you can also refer to the NSW government website here for more information.

💻️ Functionality to import various family visa applications into ImmiAccount was launched on 23 July 2025. These changes allow paper-based applications for Child, Former Resident, and New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship visas to be imported into an applicant’s or their representative’s account. This provides access to online services such as reviewing correspondence from the Department, providing additional information and documents, and lodging bridging visa applications.