Australian Government announced that the 2025–26 permanent Migration Program (Migration Program) will be set at 185,000 places, maintaining 2024-25 program settings.
A skills focussed permanent Migration Program supplements Australia’s working-age population by boosting participation rates and the size of the labour force.
The 2025–26 permanent Migration Program has the following composition:
- Skill stream (132,200 places, approximately 71 per cent of the program) – We have designed this stream to improve the productive capacity of the economy and fill skill shortages in the labour market, particularly those in regional Australia.
- Family stream (52,500 places, approximately 28 per cent of the program) – This stream is predominantly made up of Partner visas. It enables Australians to reunite with family members from overseas and provide them with pathways to citizenship.
- Special Eligibility stream (300 places) – This stream covers visas for those in special circumstances. This includes permanent residents returning to Australia after a period overseas.
