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📙 Daily Activity Report: 18 May 2026

This report summarises visa grants, S56 requests, and invitation activity based on community-shared data for 18 May 2026.

Visa Grants

S56 Trends

Trends and Patterns in S56 Requests

AFP checks remain the most common S56 request across all visa subclasses, appearing in multiple cases for both 189 and 491 visas. The timing of AFP requests varies significantly, ranging from February to April 2026 for applications lodged between November 2025 and March 2025.

Medical requests (remedicals) were observed in one 491 case, issued in May 2026 for a December 2024 lodgement. One notable case involved an S57 request regarding relationship genuineness for a 189 applicant with a partner, demonstrating additional scrutiny for de facto relationships.

Several applicants reported direct grants without S56 requests, particularly for 190 TAS, 491 NT, and one 491 case where PCC was updated proactively. One WA 190 applicant proactively updated security clearance in March 2026, which may have contributed to smoother processing.

Priority occupations (Registered Nurse, Agriculture Consultant) showed faster processing times of approximately 5-6 months compared to non-priority occupations which ranged from 12-17 months. Health occupations continue to receive expedited processing under Ministerial Direction 105.

⚠️ Disclaimer: This blog post is an AI summary of the comments below and may be refreshed as more comments arrive. Due to the nature of crowdsourced and AI-generated content, mistakes and discrepancies are possible. This information should be consumed with caution.

📊 This data is crowdsourced and represents a subset of total activity. Only the Department of Home Affairs has complete visa grant data.

Useful Links

👨🏻‍🏫 Book IELTS 💾 FOI 🧮 Calculator 🗳️ FY2025-26 Guide to Australian PR

📗 FY2025-26 Migration Planning Levels 🔖 Frequently Asked Questions 📞 Useful phone numbers and emails 📋 Visa Application Document List 🏘️ Guide to Housing, Jobs and Community 📲 Whatsapp Groups ☎️ Book Consultation to explore your 189/190/491 Skilled Visa Options

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).

Read more on planning level here.

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