Two themes for practitioners this week. Australia has locked in the planning settings that will shape the year’s caseload, and Europe’s new border architecture is now live.

The 2026-2027 program is set at 185,000 places

The permanent Migration Program for 2026-2027 has been confirmed at 185,000 places, with the split holding at roughly 70:30 in favour of the Skill stream over Family. The direction is familiar, but it is worth restating: employer-sponsored, state-nominated and genuinely skilled applicants remain the best positioned. Independent points-tested pathways continue to sit behind employment-linked and nominated options in practical terms.

Skilled income thresholds are up 3.8% from 1 July

The skilled visa income thresholds rose by 3.8% on 1 July 2026 and apply to relevant nominations lodged from that date. That lifts the Core Skills Income Threshold to $79,499 and the Specialist Skills Income Threshold to $146,717, source: the Department of Home Affairs. Practice note

International education stays at 295,000 for two years

The national planning level for new overseas student commencements remains 295,000 for 2026, and the Government has confirmed the same figure for 2027. After several years of rapid change, two years of stability is a genuine planning signal for providers and the agents who work alongside them.

Provider performance against allocation continues to influence offshore processing priority, so the usual metrics still matter: commencement rates, offshore refusal rates, nationality concentration and application quality.

Standalone ELICOS remains strategically distinct, since ELICOS-only applications are handled differently from many higher education and VET applications under the current framework.

The Entry/Exit System is now fully operational

The EU’s Entry/Exit System has been fully operational across participating external Schengen borders since 10 April 2026. It digitally records the entry and exit of non-EU short-stay travellers and is progressively replacing manual passport stamping.

For clients travelling to Europe the practical points are simple. Expect to provide passport data, a facial image and fingerprints at the border, and allow extra time at control points, particularly across the summer peak. This reaches working holiday makers, students heading to Europe between commitments, and any visa-exempt traveller on an Australian passport.

ETIAS is scheduled for late 2026 but not yet open

ETIAS remains officially scheduled for the final quarter of 2026, and no precise launch date has been announced. It is not open, and no one can apply yet. Some outlets are speculating about a slip into 2027, but the official EU timetable has not changed.

– Australia is holding a steady, employment-weighted course while the cost and complexity of applying continue to climb.

– Europe is tightening short-stay border controls even as individual member states keep opening targeted residence pathways.

– For most clients the strongest positions remain employer-sponsored migration, high-quality standalone English study, and state or regional skilled pathways.

As always, confirm your eligibility and documentary requirements before you commit to travel, study or work.