Australian Immigration Daily News

The Australian Government has introduced the Migration (Annual Applicant Limits for Subclass 202 (Global Special Humanitarian) Visas) Instrument 2026 (LIN 26/035), establishing annual limits on the number of applicants that each Approved Proposing Organisation (APO) may propose under the Community Support Program (CSP).

The instrument specifies that:

• Each APO will be subject to an annual applicant allocation for the financial year commencing 1 July 2026.
• Both primary and secondary applicants are counted towards an APO's allocation.
• Where the applicable limit would be exceeded, the Subclass 202 visa application will be invalid and cannot be considered.
• The instrument also clarifies the methodology for counting applicants, including circumstances where responsibility for a proposal is transferred between APOs, ensuring applicants are not counted twice.

The explanatory statement notes that the reforms are intended to provide a more transparent and predictable framework for managing Community Support Program places while requiring Approved Proposing Organisations to carefully plan and administer their annual allocations.

Approved Proposing Organisations and migration practitioners involved in humanitarian migration should review the new instrument to ensure future Subclass 202 applications comply with the revised validity requirements.

Source: Migration-Annual-Applicant-Limits-for-Sc202-Global-Special-Humanitarian-visas-Instrument-2026.pdf and

Migration-Annual-Applicant-Limits-for-Sc202-Global-Special-Humanitarian-visas-Instrument-2026----explanatory-statement.pdf