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Dear Clients and Readers,

As we close out 2025, several key legislative changes are making their way through Parliament, most notably a new public register for employers in the skilled visa program. With Parliament finished sitting for the year, these proposed changes will resume their progress in 2026. In this edition, we cover what those changes mean for employers and visa applicants, offering practical insights to help you plan ahead.

Abacus Visa will be closed from 22 December 2025, reopening on 5 January 2026. We wish you a wonderful festive season and a well-earned break. Thank you for trusting us with your migration needs this year. We look forward to continue supporting you in the year ahead.

Linda McCreath
Principal Lawyer & Director
Abacus Visa & Migration Services

Proposed public register of approved sponsors

Standard Business Sponsors (SBS) refusals on the rise: What employers should know

Subclass 186: Long wait times for Employer Nominated visas continue

Other News: Migration levels for 2025-26, new online service for people with expired visas, Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement pilot

Proposed public register of approved sponsors

The most important upcoming change for employers is the Migration Amendment (Combatting Migrant Exploitation) Bill 2025, which will establish a public register of approved standard business sponsors and accredited sponsors. If you're sponsoring overseas workers to Australia, this means your sponsorship activity will soon be publicly visible – a major shift toward transparency in the skilled visa program.

The register aims to prevent worker exploitation and encourage employers to comply with fair work practices through increased transparency and oversight. It will be published on the Department of Home Affairs (DoHA) website and include:

• Business name of the approved work sponsor
• Australian Business Number and postcode
• Number of individuals nominated under the sponsorship approval process
• Occupations of nominated workers

While this register represents an important inclusion in the sponsorship framework, it does raise privacy concerns for employers. Publicly listing employer information and nominated occupations may expose businesses to unwanted applications and inadvertently give competitors insights into hiring strategies and workforce composition. The Department will undertake stakeholder engagement and public consultation before launching the register, though the timeline for this consultation remains to be confirmed.

The Bill was read a first time in the Senate on 27 November 2025, with a second reading moved on the same day. It will continue its passage through Parliament when sitting resumes in 2026.

Key takeaways for employers

• Prepare for increased public transparency – your sponsorship activity will become visible to potential employees and competitors. Review your current sponsorship practices and ensure full compliance with sponsorship obligations before the register launches.
• Stay informed about stakeholder consultation opportunities – the DoHA will seek input before implementation.
  
  

Key takeaway for employees

• Once the public register launches, it could be used to help verify legitimate sponsors and research potential employers’ sponsorship history before accepting job offers.

Standard Business Sponsors (SBS) refusals on the rise: What employers should know

The Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) recently flagged a concerning trend: an increase in SBS refusals.

Applying to be a Standard Business Sponsor is the first step for employers who want to hire overseas workers on certain skilled visas. Without SBS approval, you can't nominate candidates for roles or sponsor their visa applications. Recent cases suggest that case officers are scrutinising whether businesses are actually operating, not just legally registered. To give an application the best chance, employers should aim to provide a range of verified documents demonstrating active trading, such as:

• A letter of support from the business's accountant
• Annual reports with financial statements prepared by external accountants
• Tax returns
• Multiple Business Activity Statements (BAS)
• Bank statements showing regular transactions

 
Key takeaways for employers

• Don't rely solely on business registration documents. Case officers want evidence of active trading.
• Multiple documents from different sources showing regular business activity will strengthen your application.

Subclass 186: Long wait times for Employer Nominated visas continue

The DoHA continues to experience a high volume of applications for the Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) visa program. As at 31 October 2025 (the most recent update we received), the Department was assessing applications lodged in:

• April 2025 for occupations in designated regional areas
• April 2025 for healthcare and teaching occupations
• October 2024 for applicants nominated by sponsors with Accredited Status
• March 2024 for all other applications

For a general idea of current processing times, you can check the Department's website directly.

Key takeaway for employers and employees

While the Department can’t give definitive time frames for individual assessments, these benchmarks indicate where processing resources are currently focused. We continue to advise that applications should be decision-ready from the outset to avoid delays from incomplete documentation, which can add months to an already lengthy wait.

Other News

Migration Planning Levels for 2025-26

The permanent Migration Program for 2025–26 will remain at 185,000 places, unchanged from 2024–25. It maintains its focus on skilled migration, with 132,200 places (71%) allocated to the Skill stream and 52,500 places (28%) to the Family stream.

Other key highlights include:

• A National Innovation Visa category with 4,300 places, consolidating the previous Global Talent and Distinguished Talent programs.
• Regional and state/territory nominated visas make up half the places for skilled visas, reinforcing the Government's emphasis on addressing labour shortages outside of major metropolitan areas.
• The size and makeup of the Family stream will stay the same, with the Partner visa category being the largest component.
  
  

New online service for people with expired or expiring visas

A new online support service is now available to help people who have expired visas (unlawful non-citizens) or are currently on Bridging Visa E (BVE) explore their options. Individuals can book a confidential appointment with a status resolution officer by completing an online form. The service aims to help people resolve their visa status through a more accessible and supportive process.

Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot extended to 30 June 2026

The Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot was extended for a further 12 months until 30 June 2026, offering 500 visa places annually with flexible requirements for English proficiency, skills assessment, and work experience. The program operates in collaboration with Talent Beyond Boundaries and connects businesses with skilled refugees.

Outlook for 2026

Australian immigration in 2025 saw continued legislative fine-tuning following the major system overhaul at the end of 2024, when the Skills in Demand visa was introduced. Rather than another big shake-up, this year has focused on incremental improvements to system integrity and efficiency.

Processing delays remain the biggest challenge for employers and visa applicants alike. Current time frames show that strategic planning and lodging decision-ready applications early will be essential for success in 2026. We’ll be closely monitoring proposed changes and their implications for employers and visa applicants, particularly around the new public register.

If you have questions about your visa options, please reach out to our team.

© 2025 Abacus Visa & Migration Services. This newsletter provides general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Specific advice should be sought for individual circumstances.