On 12 May 2026, the government announced the 2026–27 permanent Migration Program, held at 185,000 places with roughly a 70:30 split between Skill and Family. The headline number stayed flat — but the composition moved in ways that change who’s most likely to be invited.
Where the places sit
- Skill stream: 132,240 places
- Family stream: 52,460 places
- Special Eligibility: 300 places
- Onshore priority: 129,590 places allocated to migrants already living in Australia
Within the Skill stream, the shift is the story:
- Employer Sponsored rose the most — from 44,000 to 58,040 places.
- Skilled Independent rose from 16,900 to 21,090.
- Regional dropped sharply — from 33,000 to 14,110.
Remember these are planning levels, not guaranteed grants. They’re a framework that guides processing priorities, policy settings and invitation volumes across the year.
What this means for your practice
The direction is clear: employer-sponsored and onshore pathways are being favoured; regional and offshore independent are tighter. For a client weighing options, that changes the realistic recommendation — and it can change part-way through a matter as invitation rounds reflect the new mix.
When a client’s occupation, location and visa options live in one file, re-checking who’s now best-placed after an announcement like this is a filter you run, not a scramble across spreadsheets. Keeping the whole caseload in one workspace is what makes that quick.
This is general information, not migration or legal advice. Details and dates were accurate at publication and can change — always confirm against the primary source before relying on them.
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