New salary thresholds on 1 July; sponsor register introduced

Key points:

1. Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) and Specialist Skills Income Threshold (SSIT) to increase on 1 July 2026.

2. A register of approved Standard Business Sponsors and Accredited sponsors to be introduced.

3. A change in validity requirements of the 407 visa effectively removes it as a practical option for many applicants.

4. There are currently widespread processing delays affecting employer-sponsored visa programs.

CSIT and SSIT increase

1. The CSIT and SSIT will increase to the following on 1 July 2026:
   🔹 Core Skills Income Threshold (482/186): $79,499 (from $76,515)
   🔹 Specialist Skills Income Threshold (482): $146,717 (from $141,210)

2. Nominations must be lodged by 30 June 2026 to not be affected by the increase. 

3. If Labour Market Testing is required for the relevant nomination, advertisements must be placed by the end of May.

New sponsor register

1. A bill has been passed which enables the publication of a 'sponsor register'.

2. Information to be published in the register may include sponsor's name and ABN, postcode, sponsorship type, as well as occupations nominated and number of nominations.

3. The legislation has been passed which enables the publication of the register, however the register itself has not yet been published.

Current processing delays

1. There are currently widespread processing delays across employer-sponsored visa programs (e.g. 482, 186), affecting both Standard Business Sponsors and Accredited Sponsors. This was acknowledged by the Department in a recent industry stakeholder meeting.

2. Increased lodgement of applications driven by high demand has been cited as a key factor contributing to the delay.

3. Sponsors and applicants are encouraged to lodge decision-ready applications to enable prompt finalisation once the application is allocated for processing.

4. For permanent residency applications with extended processing times over 12 months, applicants are advised to delay medical and police clearances until 12 months after application lodgement to prevent these items expiring while awaiting processing.

New rules for 407 visa

1. A change has been introduced to the Training visa (subclass 407) program which requires a temporary activities sponsorship and 407 nomination to be approved before a 407 visa application can be submitted. This is different to the previous requirement where the sponsorship and nomination only need to be lodged in order for the visa application to be submitted.

2. Due to the current extended processing time of the 407 applications, this change means that the 407 visa may no longer be a practical option for many applicants. 

3. Participants in well-established, formal training programs (e.g. Government programs, professional year for registration, etc.) may still be able to continue using the 407 visa on the basis of expedited sponsorship / nomination processing potentially available to such programs.