Blog - Migration Agents Sydney | Pace Migration

A salary of $80,000 may be enough for one sponsored job but too low for another. This is because the 2026 visa rules use more than one salary figure. For nominations lodged from 1 July 2026, the employer must check both the relevant income threshold and the usual market salary for the job. In many […]

The next Skilled Independent visa subclass 189 invitation round is expected by 30 September 2026, but the Department of Home Affairs has not announced the exact day. Applicants should not treat 30 September as a confirmed round date or wait until late September to correct an Expression of Interest (EOI). An invitation may be issued […]

A DAMA may suit a business operating in an eligible regional area when the occupation and workforce need are covered by that region’s agreement. A company-specific labour agreement may be more appropriate when no existing regional or industry agreement fits the business. The right pathway depends on the work location, occupation, recruitment evidence, required concessions […]

A labour agreement can provide a pathway to permanent residency in Australia, but the pathway depends on the agreement held by the employer, the nominated occupation and the visa stream available. The labour agreement PR pathway may lead directly to permanent residence through the Employer Nomination Scheme visa (subclass 186). For eligible workers employed in […]

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 […]