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FY2026-27 Migration Planning Level Announcement
On 12 May 2026, the Australian Government announced that the 2026–27 permanent Migration Program (Migration Program) will be set at 185,000 places, with an approximate 70:30 split between the Skilled and Family Programs. The overall planning level and the Skill and Family split of the program are unchanged from 2025-26.
Across both the Skill and Family streams of the permanent Migration Program, the government will prioritise applications from onshore migrants, allocating 129,590 places to migrants already living in Australia, with an additional 300 places allocated to Special Eligibility. The remaining 55,110 offshore places will prioritise high‑skilled migrants that help boost productivity and address Australia’s long‑term skill needs, complementing Australia’s working-age population.
An onshore-focused program will support timely transitions to permanent residency for migrants already living, working and contributing to Australia, and further reduces the program’s impact on Net Overseas Migration (NOM).
The 2026–27 Migration Program is comprised of:
- Skilled Migration Program (132,240 places, approximately 71 per cent of the program) – this program is designed to improve the productive capacity of the economy and fill skill shortages in the labour market.
- Australian Family Program (52,460 places, approximately 28 per cent of the program) – this program is predominantly made up of Partner visas. It enables Australians to reunite with family members from overseas and provide them with pathways to citizenship.
- Special Eligibility (300 places) – this stream covers visas for those in special circumstances. It includes permanent residents returning to Australia after a period overseas.
Migration Program planning levels by financial year
| Visa Category | FY2024–25 | FY2025–26 | FY2026–27 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled Migration Program | ||||
| Commonwealth Program | Skilled Independent | 16,900 | 16,900 | 21,090 |
| Talent and Innovation¹ | 5,300 | 5,300 | 3,500 | |
| Employer Program | Employer-Sponsored | 44,000 | 44,000 | 58,040 |
| State and Territory Program | Regional | 33,000 | 33,000 | 14,110 |
| State/Territory Nominated | 33,000 | 33,000 | 35,500 | |
| Total Skilled Program | 132,200 | 132,200 | 132,240 | |
| Australian Family Program | ||||
| Partner & Child² | Partner | 40,500 | 40,500 | 41,500 |
| Child | 3,000 | 3,000 | 3,500 | |
| Parent & Other Family | Parent | 8,500 | 8,500 | 7,060 |
| Other Family | 500 | 500 | 400 | |
| Total Family Program | 52,500 | 52,500 | 52,460 | |
| Special Eligibility | 300 | 300 | 300 | |
| Total Migration Program | 185,000 | 185,000 | 185,000 |
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FY2026–27 Federal Budget Updates and Skilled Migration Points Test Changes
Budget is released on 12 May 2026 7:30pm AEST. You can download key budget documents here.
1. FY2026-27 Planning Level Announcement
The Government will set the 2026–27 permanent Migration Program planning level at 185,000 places (unchanged from last FY) and allocate 132,240 places (over 70 per cent) to the Skill stream.
Across both the Skill and Family streams of the permanent Migration Program, the Government will prioritise applications from onshore migrants, allocating 129,590 places to migrants already living in Australia, with an additional 300 places allocated to Special Eligibility.
The remaining 55,110 offshore places will predominately be allocated to high‑skilled migrants that help address Australia’s long‑term skill needs. This measure will place downward pressure on net overseas migration. This is roughly 30% of the total planning level of 185000. This is not a dramatic change as offshore is usually between 30% and 40% of overall planning level
What does this planning level means? Planning level of 185000 (and 132K for Skilled visa) remains unchanged from last FY. This is good news as this refers to the total amount of visas that will be granted in the FY, and there are no cuts. Now we have to wait for Subclass planning levels as well as State nomination allocation quota to get an idea as to the impact on visa processing times, as well how many new invitations one can expect in FY2026-27.
The 30% limit for offshore is not too worrying as historically offshore grants account for roughly 30% to 40% of total planning level anyways.
Read more on Planning Level and State Allocation here 👉
2. New Points Test System
The Government will reform the permanent migration points test to better identify migrants who drive productivity and Australia’s long‑term prosperity. Almost two‑thirds of permanent skilled migrants are currently selected through points tested visas. The points test will be optimised to select better educated, higher‑skilled and younger migrants overall. No further detail has been released by the government.
3. Net overseas migration
Net overseas migration (NOM) has declined by around 45 per cent from its peak in 2022–23 and is forecast to continue declining through to 2027–28. NOM is forecast to be moderately higher than previously expected in 2025–26 and 2026–27, which reflects that migrants on temporary visas are departing Australia at lower rates than in the past. Arrivals of New Zealand citizens are also expected to remain strong, reflecting Australia’s relatively favourable labour market conditions. Migration policy changes in this Budget will place downward pressure on NOM.
Useful Resources
- FY2026-27 Budget Official Website
- ABC News on 11 May 2026
- Grattan Institute Points System Proposal (June 2024)
- Grattan Institute Points Calculator (June 2024)
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