On 2 September 2025, the Australian Government announced that the 2025–26 permanent Migration Program (Migration Program) will be set at 185,000 places, maintaining 2024-25 program settings.
A skills focussed permanent Migration Program supplements Australia’s working-age population by boosting participation rates and the size of the labour force.
The 2025–26 permanent Migration Program has the following composition:
- Skill stream (132,200 places, approximately 71 per cent of the program) – We have designed this stream to improve the productive capacity of the economy and fill skill shortages in the labour market, particularly those in regional Australia.
- Family stream (52,500 places, approximately 28 per cent of the program) – This stream is predominantly made up of Partner visas. It enables Australians to reunite with family members from overseas and provide them with pathways to citizenship.
- Special Eligibility stream (300 places) – This stream covers visas for those in special circumstances. This includes permanent residents returning to Australia after a period overseas.
| Migration Program planning levels by financial year | ||||
| Visa Stream | Visa Category | 2023–24 Planning levels | 2024–25 Planning levels | 2025–26 Planning levels |
| Skill | Employer Sponsored | 36,825 | 44,000 | 44,000 |
| Skilled Independent | 30,375 | 16,900 | 16,900 | |
| Regional | 32,300 | 33,000 | 33,000 | |
| State/Territory Nominated | 30,400 | 33,000 | 33,000 | |
| Business Innovation & Investment | 1,900 | 1,000 | 1,000 | |
| Talent and Innovation1 | – | – | 4,300 | |
| Global Talent1 (Independent) | 5,000 | 4,000 | – | |
| Distinguished Talent1 | 300 | 300 | – | |
| Skill Total | 137,100 | 132,200 | 132,200 | |
| Family | Partner2 | 40,500 | 40,500 | 40,500 |
| Parent | 8,500 | 8,500 | 8,500 | |
| Child2 | 3,000 | 3,000 | 3,000 | |
| Other Family | 500 | 500 | 500 | |
| Family Total | 52,500 | 52,500 | 52,500 | |
| Special Eligibility | 400 | 300 | 300 | |
| Total Migration Program | 190,000 | 185,000 | 185,000 | |
1 This category includes on-hand applications for the Global Talent and Distinguished Talent visas, which are closed to new applications, and the new National Innovation visa.
2 Delivery of the Partner and Child visa categories are demand driven, with indicative planning levels only.
Skilled stream
The Skill stream is designed for workers who have the skills, qualifications and entrepreneurship most needed in the Australian economy. The government has maintained the size and broad composition of the skilled stream.
The Department of Home Affairs (the department) processes existing on-hand applications and new applications in line with the permanent Migration Program planning levels and skilled visa processing priorities.
For more information about permanent skilled visas, see Permanent work visas.
Talent and innovation category
As part of the transition to the new National Innovation visa, existing applicants of the Global Talent and Distinguished Talent visa will be counted within this category. Existing Global Talent and Distinguished Talent visa applicants will not be adversely affected by the transition. Visa applicants will be assessed against the eligibility criteria at the time of their application.
You can find more information about processing priorities for this category at National Innovation visa priorities.
Regional and state/territory nominated visa categories
Together these categories, account for 36 per cent of the overall planning level and 50 per cent of the Skill stream.
These visas allow jurisdictions to attract skilled migrants to meet their specific economic and labour force challenges.
For state and territory nominated visas, each jurisdiction assess applicants against their own unique criteria.
You can find more information about state and territory nomination requirements at:
- ACT – Migration
- NSW – Visas and migration
- VIC – Live in Melbourne
- QLD – Business & Skilled Migration Queensland
- NT – Migrate
- WA – Skilled Migration Western Australia
- SA – Move to South Australia
- TAS – Migration Tasmania
Family stream
The government has maintained the size and composition of the family stream. Family migration is an important element of Australia’s migration system. It allows Australian citizens and permanent residents to reunite with their family members and contribute to stronger social cohesion outcomes.
The Partner visa category is the largest component within the family stream. From 2022–23, the Partner program moved to a demand driven model. Allocations for this category are for planning purposes only.
The Child visa program allows Australian residents to sponsor their dependent or adopted child or an orphaned relative. The Child program is demand-driven and remains set at 3,000 places for planning purposes only. The Australian Government prioritises the reunification of a child with an Australian parent or family sponsor. This ensures we uphold our international obligations to consider the best interest of a child as a primary consideration.
More information about family visas is available at Visa options and Family visa processing priorities.
Net overseas migration – relationship with the permanent Migration Program
The permanent Migration Program is only one component of net overseas migration (NOM). NOM includes temporary migration, such as Working Holiday Makers and Students. NOM is calculated based on international movements in or out of Australia for 12 months or more, over a 16-month period and includes Australian citizens, New Zealanders and Humanitarian migrants.
The size of the permanent Migration Program has decreased since 2022–23 and it is not a key driver of the post-COVID volatility in NOM. In 2023–24, 61 per cent of permanent skilled visas and 47 per cent of permanent family visas were issued to people already onshore and in the community, residing in established households at the time of visa grant. This minimises the permanent Migration Program’s near-term impact on housing, infrastructure and services.
You can find further details about NOM in the quarterly report on National, state and territory population on the Australian Bureau of Statistics website. Details about NOM projections are at the Centre for Population’s National Projections. Further information on NOM is also available in the department’s publication of The Administration of the Immigration and Citizenship Programs Paper.
