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- Australian Immigration Updates: March 2025
Australian Immigration Updates: March 2025
Your monthly immigration brief from Hannan Tew Lawyers
LATEST IMMIGRATION NEWS
💵 Annual indexation of the skilled visa income thresholds will take place on 1 July 2025, most notably increasing the CSIT to $76,515 per annum and the SSIT to $141,210 per annum.
📄 The Australian and Northern Territory governments recently executed the new NT Designated Area Regional Migration (DAMA) Agreement, which includes an expanded occupation list, more nomination places and streamlined application processes for NT employers.
⏰ With the increased processing times for TSS applications lodged before 7 December 2024, the Department of Home Affairs has confirmed that subclass 482 and subclass 494 visa holders will not be considered to breach condition 8607 if they are outside the 180 day period and still waiting on the outcome of a nomination transfer to their prospective sponsor.
RECENT NEWS
2025-26 Federal Budget Immigration Updates
On 25 March 2025 the Australian Government released its 2025-26 Federal Budget, which outlined a number of immigration-adjacent measures, including:
A total of $3.5 million across 3 years from 2026-27 (with $1.2 million per annum ongoing) to make the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement program a permanent scheme, which aims to provide post-arrival support to refugees;
Across 2025-26, $7.7 million towards the extension of the Economic Pathways to Refugee Integration (EPRI) program, which assists refugees in finding employment;
Relatively stable expenses towards the Administrative Reviews Tribunal and other migration legal matters, with a slight increase in expenditure in accordance with demand, including ongoing funding towards the National Access to Justice Partnership announced in 2024-25;
Funding to support the resettlement in Nauru of non-citizens who do not have the right to remain in Australia; and
$925.2 million to establish a permanent Leaving Violence Program, which is due to commence on 1 July 2025, which will provide support to victim-survivors of partner violence. This will include migrants regardless of visa status and will grant individualised financial support packages of up to $5,000.
The Government is expected to release migration planning levels around May 2025 as part of its shift to a multi-year planning model. This new approach will extend forecasts over a four-year period instead of the current annual model, which the Department of Home Affairs states will “enable migration planning to better align with longer-term infrastructure, housing and services planning across all levels of government”.
RECENT NEWS
Increases to skilled visa income thresholds from 1 July 2025
On 24 March 2025, the Department of Home Affairs confirmed that skilled visa income thresholds will be increased by 4.6% from 1 July 2025. These income thresholds impact a number of visa categories, and a summary table is below:
Income Threshold | Change from / to (AUD) | Impact |
|---|---|---|
Core Skills Income Threshold | $73,150 to $76,515 | This impacts the minimum earnings for nominated positions in the Core Skills stream of the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) (SID) visa and the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) (ENS) visa. |
Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) | $135,000 to $141,210 | This impacts the minimum earnings for a nominated position in the Specialist Skills stream of the SID visa. |
Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) | $73,150 to $76,515 | This sets out the minimum earnings for nominated positions in the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (subclass 494) (SESR) visa and the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) (subclass 187) visa. |
The Fairwork High Income Threshold (FWHIT) is also expected to be adjusted with a similar increase on 1 July 2025 from its current $175,000. The FWHIT can trigger exemptions to employer sponsored visas, for example with regard to age.
This change will not apply to existing visa holders and nominations lodged before 1 July 2025.
BLOG SPOTLIGHT
Applying for a Partner visa while holding a Subclass 482 visa
The Skills in Demand (SID) Subclass 482 visa, formerly Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa, is valid for up to 4 years and permits the holder to work in Australia only for their sponsoring employer.
A Partner visa allows the spouse or de facto partner of an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen, to be sponsored for Australian permanent residency.
SID/TSS Subclass 482 visa holders who apply for a Partner visa with their Australian spouse/partner should consider their visa validity and conditions, and the implications if they leave their sponsoring employer. Our article below addresses these considerations:
