Australian Immigration Daily News

Migration Amendment (Training Visas - Sponsorship Requirements) Regulations 2026

The Australian Government has introduced the Migration Amendment (Training Visas—Sponsorship Requirements) Regulations 2026, which amend the Migration Regulations 1994 and update the validity requirements for the Subclass 407 (Training) visa.

Under the amendments, an applicant will only be able to make a valid application for a Subclass 407 visa if they have an approved Temporary Activities Sponsor. In addition, where the sponsor is not a Commonwealth agency, there must also be an approved nomination for a program of occupational training before the visa application can be lodged.

The Criminal Code (Prohibited Hate Group—Hizb ut-Tahrir) Regulations 2026 designate the organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir as a prohibited hate group under subsection 114A.2(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995. The regulations were made under section 5 of the Act, which empowers the Governor-General to prescribe matters necessary to give effect to the Criminal Code.

The designation was made after the AFP Minister determined, on reasonable grounds and based on advice from relevant agencies, that Hizb ut-Tahrir has advocated conduct constituting hate crimes and that formally listing the organisation is reasonably necessary to protect the Australian community from social, psychological and physical harm. Evidence considered included instances where the organisation publicly praised attacks that would constitute hate crimes if carried out in Australia, including violence targeting Jewish people.

By specifying Hizb ut-Tahrir as a prohibited hate group, the regulations activate offence provisions in Division 114B of the Criminal Code, making it a criminal offence to engage in certain conduct connected with the organisation. These offences include directing the activities of the group, membership, recruiting individuals, providing training, supplying or receiving funds, and otherwise providing support to the organisation. The purpose of these measures is to prevent the group from operating in Australia and to limit the spread of its ideology.

Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485) Visa - Increase to Visa Application Charges from 1 March 2026

The Migration Amendment (Temporary Graduate Visa Application Charge) Regulations 2026 introduce increases to the first instalment of the Visa Application Charge (VAC) for Subclass 485 (Temporary Graduate) visa applications lodged on or after 1 March 2026.

The amendments implement a revised four-tier VAC structure and align with broader fiscal measures announced in the 2025–26 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO).

The Migration Agents Regulations 2026 will commence on 1 April 2026 and replace the Migration Agents Regulations 1998 ahead of their scheduled sunsetting. The new Regulations streamline, clarify and modernise the existing framework governing registered migration agents (RMAs), while largely preserving the established regulatory architecture.

The Regulations refine key definitions, including those relating to employer and employee relationships and the circumstances in which close family members may provide immigration assistance without registration. They clarify when assistance given by employers or family members does not constitute “immigration assistance” for the purposes of the Migration Act 1958.

The framework strengthens regulatory integrity by expanding the meaning of employment-related relationships to prevent barred or suspended agents from circumventing disciplinary sanctions through alternative business structures. It also prescribes updated requirements for information to be included on the Register of Migration Agents, including publication and removal timeframes for disciplinary outcomes.