The federal government has announced a suite of immigration reforms it says will ease pressure on housing and close loopholes in the visa system, while giving the economy the "softest landing possible". Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said net overseas migration — around 292,000 in March — would be brought down to 245,000 in 2025–26 and to 225,000 in 2027–28 (SBS News, 18 September 2026).
The package targets so-called visa hopping, restricts secondary applicants on most student visas, and tightens measures to ensure people without valid visas leave Australia. Visitor visas will also carry a no-further-stay condition. The government says it will crack down on migration agents who knowingly support applications without merit (SBS News).
Farmers warn of workforce gaps
Regional agriculture is watching closely. Under the new system, the number of working-holiday-makers able to remain in Australia for a second or third year will be reduced, and a ballot system will be introduced for some backpackers seeking to stay beyond their first year. Northern Territory mango grower Saramat 'Tou' Ruchkaew told SBS News the changes would hit seasonal harvests hard. "Without immigrants, I don't think the mango industry will strive," she said, describing the migrant workforce as the backbone of Northern Territory horticulture (SBS News).
The government's preferred alternative is the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme. Farmers counter that PALM workers are not always available for the short seasonal windows some crops demand, and that skilled tasks such as operating machinery or managing IT systems require a different skill mix to seasonal picking (SBS News).
The skilled migration pipeline at a glance
While the policy debate centres on temporary and working-holiday visas, the skilled permanent migration pipeline remains substantial. EOI Insights analysis of the August 2026 SkillSelect data shows 180,651 expressions of interest in the Skilled Independent (subclass 189) pool — up 5,401 in a single month and 40,992 (29.4 per cent) year on year. The 190 state-nominated pool held 414,019 EOIs. Readers can explore the latest pool movements on the EOI Insights dashboard.
The median points score in the 189 pool sat at 75, with the mode also at 75. Occupations seeing the largest single-month inflows included Registered Nurses nec (up 719), Carpenter (up 490) and Secondary School Teacher (up 412). Chef recorded the biggest outflow, with 189 EOIs declining by 154 (EOI Insights, August 2026 data).
What the government says
"We just need to make sure it is targeted for the needs of Australia in numbers, and across the different categories that work for our economy," Burke told SBS News. The Department of Home Affairs maintains the SkillSelect system and publishes invitation-round outcomes on its previous rounds page. State nomination programs, administered by jurisdictions such as South Australia and Western Australia, operate their own invitation schedules and occupation lists alongside the federal program.
The reform package comes as the SkillSelect EOI pipeline continues to grow. Whether the government's broader migration settings will deliver the calibrated reduction it has promised — without the supply shocks regional industries fear — remains the central question for the 2026–27 migration program year.
Try these numbers yourself
The charts on this page are a snapshot. Open the dashboard to try the live version — change the month, the visa, or the occupation and watch the numbers update.
Charts on this page are example snapshots, not live counts.
