The 25-26 Australian immigration quota has been released.

The 185,000 quota remains unchanged, which is something I’ve been telling my clients – the difficulty of Australian skilled migration is starting to return to pre-pandemic levels.

Key Quota Breakdown:
189: 16,900
State Sponsorship: 33,000
Employer Sponsorship: 44,000
Partner Migration: 40,500
Parent Migration: 8,500

Based on actual data, here’s our prediction:

If skilled migration isn’t working, consider employer sponsorship early
Now, the 482 visa has become the mainstream transitional option before the 485 expires. Although the 186 processing is slow and there are many backlogs in 482, compared to restrictions on 500 visa switches and widespread refusals on the 407 visa, the 482 is still a reliable choice. Plus, while holding the 482 visa, you can still wait for an invitation for skilled migration.

189 invitations will still be issued this year, but we won’t see last year’s "November Boom"
For example, in the case of Early Childhood Education, from November 7th last year to the most recent invitation round on August 22nd, there were 629 applicants in the EOI pool with 85 points, but several of those who submitted their applications recently still haven’t received an invitation.

This suggests that these 629 spots haven’t been fully issued.

When combined with the 189 quota logic released today, if a large batch of invitations were issued at once, there might not be enough spots to match the subsequent visa applications.

Therefore, it’s likely that high-scoring applicants will be prioritized, and low-scoring applicants should mentally prepare for this trend.

Given the current 16,900 quota and the backlog of 189 applicants, the high-score invitation trend may continue. For those not looking for related jobs, now is the time to push those scores higher.

State sponsorship quotas will be announced soon
It’s advised to find relevant work in the state early and prepare for applications.

For example, in Victoria, accumulating some work experience in a popular occupation will increase your chances of receiving an invitation.

External pressures have not changed the overall policy direction
Although there have been recent anti-immigration protests across Australia, the government hasn’t made drastic adjustments to the quotas. Everyone should prepare mentally:

Skilled migration has not become "more difficult," it’s simply returning to the normal conditions we saw before the pandemic.

Those who need to take the IELTS should do so, and those looking for work should continue their search.

Finally, good luck to everyone!