Last Updated: September 24, 2026
If you have been scrolling migration forums or WhatsApp groups over the past few months, you have probably seen the panic: Australia tripled its points threshold. The points test changed overnight. Everyone’s EOI is now worthless. None of that is true. What is actually happened is narrower, slower, and if you are planning a Subclass 189, 190, or 491 application, more manageable than the rumors suggest. Here is what is confirmed, what is still speculation, and what you should do while the Government develops the new framework.
What Actually Happened (And What Didn’t)
The Australian Government has officially announced that it is reforming and redesigning the permanent migration Points Test. On 17 September 2026, the Minister for Home Affairs confirmed that the Government had redone the Points Test in consultation with Treasury to improve the economic benefit delivered by the permanent skilled migration program.
The Government has also announced that the redesigned Points Test will introduce a new ability to give particular skills an uplift, effectively treating them as though they were a higher level of qualification. The Government has specifically identified housing trades, stating that, when the new test is implemented, people with skills in housing trades will receive the same number of points as though they held a university qualification.
However, this does not mean that the complete new points system is already in force.
For applicants today, the current Points Test remains applicable. Home Affairs continues to state that Subclasses 189, 190 and 491 are points-tested visas and that applicants need to meet or exceed the current 65-point threshold. Meeting 65 points, however, does not guarantee an invitation.
So if someone tells you that the Government has already moved the minimum eligibility requirement from 65 to 70 points, that is not currently confirmed by the Department of Home Affairs.
What is Confirmed So Far
A few hard facts are confirmed, straight from the Australian Government:
- The 2026–27 permanent Migration Program remains at 185,000 places, with 132,240 places allocated to the Skill stream, representing more than 70 percent of the program.
- The Government has committed $85.2 million over four years from 2026–27 to improve recognition of migrant skills through faster and more flexible skills assessments and occupational licensing pathways, including reforms focused on priority trades such as electricians and plumbers.
- The Government has stated that the permanent migration Points Test will be optimised to select migrants who are better educated, higher-skilled and younger overall.
- The Government has confirmed that the redesigned Points Test will be capable of providing an uplift to particular skills, with housing trades specifically identified for treatment equivalent to a university qualification under the new test.
- The Government has not yet published the complete replacement points matrix or detailed transition arrangements. The precise treatment of age, English proficiency, qualifications, partner factors, Australian study, regional study and other existing components therefore remains subject to the final framework.
What is Still Rumour – Not Law
This is where most of the online panic comes from. Industry commentary has floated several changes, but none of these should be treated as confirmed Government policy unless and until they are formally published by the Australian Government:
- The minimum points threshold could change from the current 65 points.
- Age weighting could shift younger, potentially favouring younger applicants differently from the current 25-32 age band.
- English proficiency may become a harder gatekeeper rather than simply contributing points.
- Income-based points could be introduced, rewarding demonstrated labour-market demand over qualifications alone.
- Partner points may change from their current structure.
- Education points may become more differentiated, potentially favouring qualifications aligned with priority sectors.
- Whether regional study and Professional Year credits survive unchanged genuinely unknown at this stage.
The important distinction is that the Government has confirmed the reform itself and one specific skills-uplift mechanism, but it has not yet published the complete scoring methodology.
Applicants should therefore avoid treating migration-industry forecasts, forum discussions or unofficial “2027 points calculators” as final policy.
What This Means If You Are Applying Right Now
For you with an active Expression of Interest, or building a profile toward Subclass 189, 190, or 491, the operative rules today remain the existing 65-point threshold under the current Points Test. This has not changed and is not expected to change until the new framework is formally implemented.
It bears emphasising that an EOI is not a visa application. Under current settings, an EOI may remain active in SkillSelect for up to two years, and can be updated prior to invitation as circumstances evolve additional experience, improved English results, or a new skills assessment can all be reflected.
The forthcoming reform should not be read as rendering existing EOIs redundant. Equally, in the absence of published transition arrangements, applicants should not assume existing EOIs will receive preferential treatment under the new framework by default.
In our assessment, the principal risk to you is not the reform itself but inaction pending clarity allowing skills assessments, English test validity, or other time-sensitive elements of a profile to lapse while awaiting a framework that may take months to finalise.
What To Do Next
Do not wait on a system that does not exist yet. If you are within range of the current 65-point threshold, get a proper profile assessment done now by our team now to know about your current options and how the announced reform could affect your profile once the final framework is published.
The objective should not be to make a five-figure migration decision based on a forum post or an unofficial prediction. It should be to understand your position under the current rules, identify where your profile could be strengthened, and understand how the confirmed direction of reform may affect you.
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Last updated: 24 September 2026. The Australian Government has announced the reform of the permanent migration Points Test, but the final points matrix and detailed implementation arrangements have not yet been published. The current minimum threshold remains 65 points. Any future change to that threshold, including a possible increase to 70 points, should be treated as unconfirmed until formally announced by the Government.
