March 2026 makes 2 common Australian visas much more difficult

This article is also available in Spanish.

My old mentor used to say that if you are eligible for a visa then you should apply for the visa. This may seem simple but recent events in Australian immigration law show that it is indeed an important principle.

The Department of Home Affairs has, in the space of less than 2 weeks, made two changes which, although may seem technical, have in fact made two Australian visas much less viable. Both of these changes were made with almost no notice to the public or to immigration professionals.

485 Temporary Graduate Visa

On 1 March 2026 the government doubled the application fee for the subclass 485 temporary graduate visa to $4,600 for primary applicants, and $2,300 for their partners. Typically visa application fees are usually only increased by a small percentage at the end of every financial year.

The subclass 485 visa is a visa which allows people who have studied certain courses in Australia for at least 2 years to work in Australia without restrictions usually for between 18 months - 3 years. It is a visa which allows qualified individuals to contribute to the Australian economy after having spent their money on Australia large education sector.

Subclass 407 Training Visa

On the evening of 10 March 2026 the government advised that they would making significant changes to the subclass 407 training visa, starting from the following day. As the name suggests, this is a temporary visa that allows migrants to work in Australia for a period of usually 1 – 2 years, so that they can improve their occupational skills.

Like the subclass 482 skills in demand visa, the 407 visa requires 3 stages: a sponsorship application by the employer; a nomination application by the employer; and a visa application by the migrant. Prior to 11 March 2026 it was possible to apply for all 3 applications in one day.

The government has now changed this so that the nomination (and therefore sponsorship) must be approved prior to lodging the visa application. This has significant implications. It means that a business must commence the process of sponsoring their visa holder months ahead of the visa holder’s visa expiring. There will be significant uncertainty for the visa holder as they will be in a difficult position if their current visa is about to expire and the Department has not yet approved the nomination. If the nomination is refused, then they will have even less options.

The government had previously significantly lowered the age that someone could apply for a temporary graduate visa. They have also recently been refusing many training visas on the basis of the applicants not being “genuine temporary entrants”. A requirement which the processing case officers had previously effectively ignored. These recent additional changes make these subclasses less viable options for people wanting to continue their journeys in Australia.

These changes prove that nothing is certain in migration law. The developments can be fast, significant and without warning. March 2026 is not even halfway through, and it has already been substantial for Australian immigration law. Who knows what will be next.  

These changes are a good reminder that if you are eligible for a visa you should apply for it as soon as possible.

Mandeville Migration can assist you with your visa application.

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Written by: Laura Mandeville

Registered Migration Agent: 2117601