Insights
Migration & study insights.
Australian migration and study information, written from primary sources. Every post shows the date its information was current.
Meet Fidelity Migration Services — a migrant who now helps migrants
Childhood trips to Australia, an exchange year at UQ, a master's in Melbourne, four Starbucks stores, and finally a career in migration. The story of how Da Vin Lim (Erik) came to open Fidelity Migration Services in Brisbane on 1 June 2026.
As of 23 October 2026
Five unusual approvals — applications that looked difficult
Five applications handled by Fidelity and granted between August and October 2026 that started from difficult circumstances, with what happened and how long each took. Each outcome depended on the applicant's individual circumstances.
As of 16 October 2026
Victoria's new points test for 190 and 491 — will the 189 follow?
Victoria has announced a seven-factor points test for subclass 190 and 491 nomination, along with six priority lanes and new ROI and nomination fees. We break down each factor, work through three examples and look at how it compares with the federal 189 redesign.
As of 15 October 2026
Australia's student visa rules changed on 2 October 2026.
From 2 October 2026, holders of Working Holiday, visitor, 485 and several other visas can no longer apply for a student visa onshore, and new dependant applications and provider transfers are restricted. Here is what has commenced and what has not changed yet.
As of 2 October 2026
Australia's migration overhaul announced — what changes for student, 485, working holiday and visitor visas
The reforms Tony Burke announced in September 2026, read from the speech itself: student visa dependants, downward course moves, the second- and third-year working holiday ballot, No Further Stay on visitor visas — and the questions the speech leaves open.
As of 18 September 2026
"Surely my profile is good enough?" — Work visa myths, part 2
The three work visa myths about the applicant: whether overseas qualifications will count, whether a 482 is really the fast track to PR, and why ‘I’ll be the exception’ rarely holds, as at July 2026.
As of 26 July 2026
"I just need to find an employer, right?" — Work visa myths, part 1
A subclass 482 work visa passes through three assessments, and the first two are about the employer, not you. What each stage examines, how caveats and the SAF levy work, and what sponsorship costs a business each year, as at July 2026.
As of 26 July 2026
Is going to the ART really worth it?
We set out the Administrative Review Tribunal's visa refusal review statistics for 14 October 2024 to 31 May 2026 by visa subclass: outcomes, backlogs, processing times, and what the move to on-the-papers review means for student visa refusals.
As of 15 July 2026
Why not just DIY your visa? What a migration agent actually does
You can lodge a visa application yourself. This explainer covers what a migration agent actually does and the three reasons people commonly give for using one: time, the strain of a long process, and risk.
As of 12 July 2026
Moving to Australia with your partner — three ways compared
A comparison of the three ways to bring your partner on an Australian visa (a combined application, a subsequent entrant application, or separate visas), covering costs, health cover, work limits and risks as at July 2026.
As of 11 July 2026
3 common refusal mistakes in 189 / 190 / 491 applications
Three common ways that over-claiming points in an EOI can lead to the refusal of a 189, 190 or 491 visa: regional study points, unacknowledged work experience, and adding a partner after an invitation, with the relevant law and policy.
As of 7 July 2026
Australian visa application fees from 1 July 2026 — what changed for each visa
From 1 July 2026, application fees rose for the main student, 485, skilled, employer-sponsored, partner and working holiday visas. A visa-by-visa table of the old fee, the new fee and the increase, based on Home Affairs pricing.
As of 1 July 2026