Australian Immigration Daily News

On 30 June 2025, the Department of Home Affairs will cease its operations in the Australian Embassy in Berlin and will be closing the visa processing office. 

The closure of the Home Affairs visa processing office will not impact visa and citizenship applicants in Europe as visa applications are already lodged via digital platforms. There is no need for clients to attend the Embassy in person to lodge an application. 

Going forward, their offices in Belgrade and London will share responsibility for immigration issues across the Europe region, as required. 

The Department of Home Affairs has introduced a new legislative instrument titled Migration (Arrangements for Protection, Refugee and Humanitarian Visas) Amendment (Internet Lodgement) Instrument 2025, which comes into effect on 1 July 2025.

The instrument facilitates a significant procedural change by allowing internet-based lodgement of Subclass 202 (Global Special Humanitarian) visa applications under the Special Humanitarian Program (SHP). Specifically:

• Applicants using Form 842 (Application for an SHP visa) and proposers using Form 681 (Refugee and Special Humanitarian Proposal) will now be able to lodge online via the Department’s ImmiAccount portal.

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The Migration (IMMI 18/033) Amendment (Annual TSMIT Increase) Instrument 2025 implements an increase to the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT), raising it from $73,150 to $76,515, effective 1 July 2025.

This adjustment applies to the following visa subclasses:

• Subclass 494 – Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa

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From 18 June 2025, the Department of Home Affairs will implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all ImmiAccount users. This security enhancement will apply to both new and existing users.

Users will be required to set up MFA when creating an account or logging in. Once enabled, MFA will be required at each login and when making any changes to the account. Users will also have the ability to reset their authentication method within ImmiAccount.

To prepare for this change, users are encouraged to:

On 23 May 2025, the Department of Home Affairs registered LIN 25/027, amended the Migration (English Language Tests and Evidence Exemptions for Subclass 500 (Student) Visa) Instrument (LIN 24/022) under Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994.

This legislative amendment updates the list of eligible pathway programs used to determine whether a student visa applicant may be eligible for lower English language test score requirements.

Key Changes Introduced by LIN 25/027:

• The number of registered courses recognised as eligible pathway programs has increased from 155 to 166, following consultation with education sector stakeholders.
• The title of Column 4 in the pathway program table has been changed from "Provider" to "Destination University" to better reflect institutional enrolment pathways.
• The instrument updates 21 course entries to reflect the merger of the University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide, now consolidated under Adelaide University.
• All amendments apply to Subclass 500 visa applications lodged on or after the instrument’s commencement.

Purpose of the Amendment:

The amendment supports greater transparency and consistency in English language evidence requirements for international students enrolled in approved pathway programs - pre-university courses that lead to second-year entry at an Australian undergraduate institution and are recognised under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).