Blog - Migration Agents Sydney | Pace Migration

On 1 July 2026, the Department of Home Affairs updated its visa pricing table, and many major Australian visa application charges increased by about 25 per cent. The change followed an earlier increase in March, when the Temporary Graduate visa base charge doubled in a single step. Together, the two changes make 2026 an unusually […]

Earlier this year, a Sydney restaurant learned the hard way how a sponsorship application unravels. In San Bao Pty Ltd v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, its nomination of a cook was refused because the Department of Home Affairs was not satisfied the position was genuine. The business missed the tribunal review deadline and took […]

Australia’s migration system has an uncomfortable birthday built into it. Turn 45, and the points-tested skilled visas that carry most migrants to permanent residency, the subclasses 189, 190 and 491, close their doors. No points total, however impressive, reopens them. That is the hard part, and it deserves to be said plainly. The better news […]

For international students, 2026 has redrawn the map. The Temporary Graduate visa application fee has more than doubled, the age ceiling for most applicants now sits at 35, and since 1 July 2024, graduates have been unable to apply for a Student visa onshore while holding a subclass 485. None of this closes the door […]

A 407 visa application no longer starts with the applicant’s form. Since 11 March 2026, a valid Training visa (subclass 407) application requires sponsor approval first and, for most sponsors, an approved nomination before lodgement. The sponsor file now decides when the applicant can apply. If that file is weak, late or unclear, the applicant’s own evidence […]

A 407 Training Visa still needs a sponsor. The major 2026 change is timing: since 11 March 2026, most applicants need the sponsorship and nomination approved before they lodge the visa application. That change matters because the old sequence gave some applicants more room. Previously, a visa application could be lodged while the sponsor approval […]

No. A labour agreement visa is an employer-sponsored pathway, so a skilled worker cannot lodge it independently without an employer who is party to a labour agreement and willing to nominate the role. This point is often missed because people use “labour agreement visa” as if it were a standalone visa. In practice, labour agreements […]

Australia’s labour agreement system exists for a narrow reason: some skilled roles cannot be sponsored through standard employer-sponsored settings. It is a negotiated pathway for approved employers who can prove a local shortage and show ordinary visa programs do not fit the role, industry, region or business case. Most labour agreements support the Skills in […]

A subclass 407 Training visa is not a direct permanent residency visa. It does not automatically turn into PR, and there is no official “407 to PR” stream. That said, it can form part of a longer migration plan for some people, especially where the training builds relevant skills, supports future employment, or helps an […]

The Subclass 407 visa is for people who need workplace-based occupational training, training linked to tertiary study, or professional development in Australia. It is not a general work visa. From 11 March 2026, Home Affairs changed the Training visa process so that a visa application lodged after that date is not valid unless the sponsorship […]