Blog
Deadline changes, policy updates, and application news, as they happen.
- August 15, 2026
What the Genuine Student Test Actually Asks (and How It's Different From the Old GTE Rule)
Australia replaced the Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement with a Genuine Student test in 2024. Two years on, plenty of applicants are still confused about what actually changed.
- July 2, 2026
Australia's Student Visa Fee Jumped 25 Percent on 1 July 2026. Here's What Changed
The subclass 500 student visa application charge rose from AUD $2,000 to AUD $2,500, with a separate lower tier for ELICOS and non-award applicants.
- March 18, 2026
What we're watching: pressure to overhaul the points test
The Migration Strategy flagged the points test as outdated. What a redesign might reward, and why we are not expecting it soon.
- February 3, 2026
Adelaide University Is Now Open. Here's What the Merger Actually Means for Applicants
The University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia formally merged into Adelaide University on 29 January 2026, the first new major Australian university this century.
- February 2, 2026
What we're watching: the next 189 round and where the cut-off lands
Our read on the timing and likely points cut-off of the February to March 2026 subclass 189 round. Analysis, not official.
- August 22, 2025
The 189 invitation rounds are now quarterly, not monthly
For the 2025-26 program year the Department shifted subclass 189 invitation rounds to a roughly quarterly cycle, with larger batches each time.
- July 15, 2025
2025-26 state nomination allocations: 20,350 places for the 190 and 491
The Department confirmed 12,850 places for the subclass 190 and 7,500 for the 491 across all states and territories for the 2025-26 program year.
- December 9, 2024
The Skills in Demand visa has replaced the TSS 482
From 7 December 2024 the employer-sponsored 482 became the Skills in Demand visa: one year of experience instead of two, and every stream now counts toward PR.
- July 1, 2024
The 485 graduate visa age limit has dropped to 35
The Temporary Graduate visa age cut-off fell from 50 to 35 for most applicants, with exceptions for research graduates and some passport holders.