July at Nomos
The new financial year – and with it, the new immigration year – has begun in full swing across the immigration landscape. Here are the Nomos highlights of July 2025:
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- Though we may be in the icy grip of winter, our spirits remain high as we celebrate a strong start to the new financial year. This month brought a wave of positive outcomes for our clients, including more grants in the Partner (subclass 820/801), SID and TSS (subclass 482), Resident Return (subclass 155), and ENS (subclass 186) visa categories, as well as standard business sponsorship approvals and more successful Australian citizenship applications.
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- Typically, the federal government announces its “planning levels” for the permanent migration intake for the upcoming financial year as part of the annual federal budget. However, in a break from precedent, no such announcement was made in 2025. Some commentators, including the opposition, have suggested that the decision was politically motivated so as to avoid drawing attention to border control concerns and rising housing costs in the lead-up to the federal election. The government, by contrast, stated that it is transitioning to a multi-year planning model, with permanent migration targets to be set over a four-year period to better align with the forward estimates in the budget. At the time of this publication, the new four-year planning levels have not been released, as consultations on the size and composition of the intake are still ongoing. In the interim, the current program will default to last year’s planning levels: 185,000 places, with approximately 70% allocated to skilled migration (132,200 places), 30% to family migration (52,500 places), and an additional 20,000 places for the refugee and humanitarian program, plus 300 “special eligibility” visas.
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- In a landmark response to climate change, up to 80% of the 10,643 people of Tuvalu – a low-lying Pacific atoll nation located near Tonga – have applied for a new Australian visa pathway offering permanent residency. This migration initiative, described by some as a “migration lottery,” will initially provide 280 permanent residency places per year. Successful applicants will be able to live, work, and study in Australia while retaining the ability to travel freely between Australia and Tuvalu. The program forms part of the broader Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union Treaty, signed in 2023, which also includes bilateral security commitments and long-term support for climate resilience against environmental challenges in the region. For more on the Treaty and to read personal accounts from Tuvaluan applicants, see this Sydney Morning Herald article.
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- Earlier this month, a 61-year-old Palestinian grandmother, Maha Almassri, was released from immigration detention following a brief period in Villawood Immigration Detention Centre. Ms Almassri, who fled the conflict in Gaza in early 2024, arrived in Australia on a visitor visa and subsequently applied for a protection visa in June 2024. She was granted a bridging visa while her application was being assessed, however, this bridging visa was later cancelled by the Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Customs, The Hon. Julian Hill MP, who personally exercised his powers under the Migration Act after receiving a risk assessment of Ms Almassri from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (‘ASIO’). The cancellation was based on a reasonable suspicion that Ms Almassri did not meet the character requirements for continued stay in Australia. Ms Almassri’s family, including her grandchildren, expressed confusion over the ASIO risk assessment and told media outlets they had not been provided with any further information from the government regarding the reasons for her detention or the specific grounds on which she was deemed to have failed the character test.
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- The National Innovation visa which was introduced last year to replace the former Global Talent visa is taking off, with NSW, Victoria and South Australia now open for registrations or expressions of interest. If this visa is of interest to you, you can read our blog for more information or reach out to us for advice.
That’s the Nomos wrap-up for July. See you next month!
*All information is general information only, as at the date of publication, and should not be interpreted as legal advice. For an accurate and current assessment of your circumstances and visa options, please contact us to receive this advice.
