Last updated: 3 July 2026.
The Australian Government has confirmed the 2026–27 Permanent Migration Program. The headline number looks unchanged — but underneath it, the allocation between categories moved significantly, and one change in particular matters a lot if your PR plan relies on a regional pathway.
The overall size
The total program holds at 185,000 places, the same overall size as the prior year. Within that:
- Skill stream: 132,240 places (~71% of the program)
- Family stream: 52,460 places (~28%)
- A small Special Eligibility allocation makes up the rest
Where the real movement is
- Employer Sponsored rose the most of any category — from 44,000 places to 58,040.
- Skilled Independent (the points-tested stream, no sponsor or nominator required) rose to 21,090.
- State and territory nominated places edged up to 35,500.
- Regional was cut from 33,000 to 14,110 — the single biggest change in the 2026–27 planning levels, a reduction of more than 57%.
Onshore vs. offshore focus
Roughly 129,590 places are allocated to migrants already in Australia. The government has been explicit that this is designed to help temporary visa holders already onshore transition to permanent residency, while reducing pressure on net overseas migration from new offshore arrivals.
What this means if you're planning your PR pathway
These planning levels don't guarantee visa grants — they're a framework that shapes processing priorities and invitation volumes, not individual outcomes. But the direction is clear enough to plan around:
- Regional graduates should not assume the regional pathway is as open as it was. A cut from 33,000 to 14,110 places is a material tightening, and it's the category most international graduates using regional study incentives have historically relied on.
- Employer Sponsored is now the largest growth lever in the entire program. If you can secure a genuine job offer and nomination, this category has more room than it did last year — by a wide margin.
- Skilled Independent grew, but modestly, relative to Employer Sponsored. Points-tested applicants without a sponsor should expect the invitation bar to stay competitive.
- Being onshore already matters more than ever. With the large majority of places going to people already in Australia, converting a student or graduate visa into a genuine skilled pathway before you need to leave is more valuable than betting on a fresh offshore application.
Data sources: Department of Home Affairs — Permanent Migration Program planning levels 2026–27 · Australian Government Migration Program announcements.