Reference guides on Australian visa subclasses relevant to people moving from India — application charges, eligibility criteria, and the published procedures for skilled, student, partner, and family visas. General information only, drawn from Home Affairs and other primary sources.
Since 1 July 2024, holders of certain temporary visas — including the Visitor visa (subclass 600) and the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) — have generally been unable to apply for a Student visa while they are still in Australia. This guide describes the legislative mechanism behind that restriction, exactly which onshore transitions are blocked, who is affected, and clarifies a separate, unrelated 2026 law about pausing travel for offshore visa holders that is sometimes reported alongside it.
Australia's permanent Migration Program for 2026-27 stays at 185,000 places, but the mix behind that number changed sharply: 129,590 places are now reserved for people already living in Australia and only 55,110 — about 30% of the program — for offshore applicants. Regional (subclass 491) places were cut by more than half while employer-sponsored (subclass 186) places grew the most. This guide sets out the published numbers and what they factually imply for someone applying from India who is not yet in Australia.
The Australian Government's points test for the Skilled Independent (189), Skilled Nominated (190) and Skilled Work Regional (491) visas awards points across a series of factors — age, English, skilled employment, qualifications, Australian study, community language, partner status and state or regional nomination. This guide sets out the full published points table exactly as it currently stands, factor by factor, sourced and dated. It is a neutral reference to the published criteria, not a personalised pathway or action plan.
Australia's partner visa is two linked visas, and which pair applies to you depends on where you're living when you apply — offshore Partner (Provisional/Migrant) subclass 309/100, or onshore Partner (Temporary/Permanent) subclass 820/801. This guide sets out the published eligibility criteria, the current combined visa charge, Home Affairs' processing-time percentiles, the four evidence pillars (including how arranged marriages fit), and the India-specific steps — marriage registration, document apostille, and VFS Global's role — all sourced and dated for July 2026.
Australia reset most visa application charges on 1 July 2026 under a new amending regulation (F2026L00874). This guide sets out the official charges for the most-searched subclasses — 189, 190, 491, 485, 500, 482, 600, partner and parent visas — taken directly from the instrument text on the Federal Register of Legislation, with first-instalment, dependant and discounted-tier amounts.
