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Applied for Skill Assessment→

Received English Test Results→

General Event→

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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Hello,

I have been waiting for 190 visa grant for conference and event organiser for 20 months now. I haven't received any correspondence. Is this normal? Anyone waiting for this long?

Cleared Visa Medicals→

Completed Visa Medicals→

Submitted Visa Application→

Visa Granted Thanks @gregormendel. Did most of the stuff from pte to grant by myself, this website and the facebook group had a huge role in it. Your guys are gem!

Visa Granted→

Hello All, What are my chances for Industrial Engineer (233511). I have 80/85/95 points for 189/190/491 currently. I am working to get my partner skills assessment done who is also an Industrial Engineer, which will then give me +5 points. Is 90 points for 190 competitive ? Do I need to consider doing NAATI as well ? Below is my points breakdown: Age - 30 points, overseas exp - 10 points, English - 20 points ( superior), Education - 15 points , Partner - 5 points (Proficient Eng)

Submitted Visa Application→

Does having a skilled partner actually help get the visa grant faster once lodged, or is it only for the points boost to get the invitation?

I’m seeing some fast grants lately and wondering if partner skills play a role in the processing speed too. What’s your experience? 🇦🇺

Hi all, I have 75 points (got 0 points for Eng test, gonna take it soon and update the EOI), onshore VIC, applied for 190 VIC and WA on May 2025. My 485 Visa gonna expire on Oct 2027. (Pharmacy Technician). I am really stressed and do not know what to do beside the Eng test (I submitted the EOI without getting any points for Eng test and got 75 points)

Submitted Visa Application→

Received Skillselect Invitation to Apply (ITA) Visa →

Received Preinvite from State→

📙 Daily Activity Report: 11 May 2026

This report summarises visa grants, S56 requests, and invitation activity for 11 May 2026, based on crowdsourced data from the community.

Visa Grants

S56 Trends

Trends and Patterns in S56 Requests

S56 requests observed today included medicals/remedicals, police clearance certificates (both primary and partner), Form 80, and debt clearance to the Australian Taxation Office. The most common S56 request was for medicals. Several grants were direct grants with no S56 requests reported. For priority occupations (Registered Nurse), visa processing time was approximately 7.5 months from lodgement to grant. For non-priority occupations, processing times varied significantly, ranging from approximately 2 months (QLD 491 Estimator) to 17 months (SA 190 Software Engineer). VIC 190 grants showed processing times between 3 to 15 months. Subclass 189 grants ranged from 5 to 7.5 months. Subclass 491 grants ranged from 2 to 15.5 months.

News and Updates

The FY2026-27 Budget will be released on 12 May 2026.

Useful Resources

• FY2026-27 Budget Updates: https://smartvisaguide.com/posts/15526

⚠️ 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 only a subset of total visa activity. Only the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and individual states possess complete data on visa grants and invitation rounds.

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

190 Visa Grant for Civil Engineer →