Tomorrow night at 7:30 PM AEST, the Australian federal government will officially release the 2026-27 Financial Year Budget. In the lead-up to the budget announcement, the wind around "skilled migration points test reform" has been growing stronger. It is expected that a rough timeline for the reform may be revealed tomorrow night.
In recent days, ABC reported that Dr. Martin Parkinson, former head of the migration system review, directly stated that the current skilled migration system has been "bastardised."
What does that mean?
Simply put, Australia believes that many truly high value, highly capable individuals are not necessarily receiving invitations. Instead, numerous pathways designed purely "to rack up points" have been layered into the system over the past decade and more.
In the future, the EOI points test is likely to increasingly favour:
✅ Age (younger)
✅ English language ability
✅ Level of education
✅ Long-term economic contribution capacity (salary)
✅ Genuine employment competitiveness in Australia (local work experience)
Rather than:
❌ Simply stacking points
❌ Doing a Professional Year (PY)
❌ Earning points for the sake of points
❌ The "pro forma" regional study points pathway
At the same time, earlier think tank reports also suggested raising the weighting of English and educational qualifications, and that state nomination and regional visa arrangements may face adjustments or even be weakened.
Of course, modifying state nomination and regional visas would also raise a major concern: if the weighting for regional areas is reduced (for example, by lowering the number of invitations for 190 and 491), who will drive employment and economic growth in those regions?
Over the past decade and more, skilled migration has resembled more of a "points gathering game." The future plan seems more focused on selecting those who can genuinely work in Australia and integrate into society over the long term.
After the budget is announced tomorrow night, our team at Newpoint will promptly help break down:
Migration quotas for the next financial year
The direction of skilled migration reform
Student visa related matters
Which occupations are likely to truly benefit
Tomorrow night's budget will most likely not be quiet. Let us wait and see.
