Tony Burke's National Press Club speech finally happened today....

17 Sept 2026

Simple Recap on Changes Announced Today:

• Points test – Extra points for housing (trades) – not yet confirmed whether related to nominted occupation, qualification occupation or both.

• WHV – Still slow processing (potentially working on UK doing regional work again)

• WHV – Moving to ballot system for those eligible (regional work still required). Numbers capped at 45,000 for 2nd WHV and 5000 for 3rd WHV. Then will reduce processing to 3 months.
  VS NOTE: If eligible for your next one, may consider lodging it ASAP to try to skip the ballot process change

• Student and Graduate Visas – No dependants for new student visa applicants, with the exception of PhD students

• Visitor – No Further Stay Condition for visitor visas
  VS NOTE: Already happening on 600 visas. Unclear if change will extend to 651 and 601 visas. If you have one already without the condition, now is the time to utilise it for any onshore lodgements you may have considered.

• Student visa – Transfer will require a new application; Progression criteria will be implemented (can only go up in qualifications)

• Overstayers – additional compliance officers and detention centres, detained until removed.

• Ministerial Direction 119 – to be replaced in order to prioritise certain industries no matter the location of the applicant at the time of lodgement; priorities given to construction, agriculture, fisheries and teaching

• Timeframe for Changes – Not confirmed, likely imminent for most changes announced.

This was only an announcement. As of the time of posting, no formal regulatory change has been implemented. It may be soon, but until it is, exact wording (and thus actual impacts) are still not certain.

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