What Actually Changed in July 2026?
Salary thresholds changed from 1 July
For nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, the Core Skills Income Threshold is AUD 79,423 and the Specialist Skills Income Threshold is AUD 146,576. The Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold for relevant regional nominations is also AUD 79,423. Employers can check the current salary requirements for sponsored workers.
Processing priorities changed from 25 July
Ministerial Direction 119 replaced the previous skilled visa processing priorities and covers programs including subclasses 482, 186 and 494. The change also applies to applications that were already on hand when the new direction commenced.
Together, these changes mean an Australian employer recruiting from India needs to consider both whether the job meets the required salary rules and how an offshore application may be prioritised.
If Your Candidate Is in India, Location Now Matters
For most employer sponsored cases outside Australian law enforcement and defence, the priorities most relevant to employers are:
Construction, healthcare and teaching applications receive third priority when the primary applicant was in Australia at the time of application.
Other applications where the applicant was already in Australia generally receive fourth priority.
Most other applications made by people outside Australia receive fifth priority.
This means an Indian nurse, teacher or construction professional applying while still in India does not automatically receive the same priority as someone in the same occupation who applied while already in Australia. The rule affects processing order rather than basic visa eligibility, so employers should be careful about promising a fixed joining date for an offshore candidate.
Already Hiring? The Two July Changes Work Differently
If an Indian candidate is already in the recruitment or visa process, the two July changes need to be looked at separately.
For the salary change
The nomination lodgement date matters. A relevant Core Skills nomination lodged from 1 July 2026 needs to meet the AUD 79,423 threshold applying for the 2026 to 2027 period.
For Ministerial Direction 119
The new processing priorities apply to applications already on hand from 25 July 2026 as well as applications made after that date.
For an existing hire, employers should therefore check when the nomination was lodged and where the candidate was located when the application was made.
Regional Employers Are Part of the July Changes Too
Regional employers are affected as well. For relevant Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional subclass 494 nominations lodged between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold is AUD 79,423. Subclass 494 is also included under Ministerial Direction 119, so an India based applicant may sit lower in the processing order than a comparable applicant who applied from within Australia.
Regional businesses can review the Australian Government's Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional visa before progressing with an overseas hire.
Salary Needs to Match the Australian Job, Not the Indian Salary
A candidate's existing salary in India does not determine what an Australian employer should pay for the sponsored role.
Australian Market Salary Rate
This is the amount an Australian citizen or permanent resident earns, or would earn, for equivalent full time work at the same workplace and location.
For applicable positions paying less than AUD 250,000 a year, the employer must correctly determine this market rate, must not pay the overseas worker less than the comparable Australian rate, and must also meet the relevant income threshold. Non monetary benefits such as accommodation or a car do not count towards meeting that threshold.
Checking the Australian salary before sourcing candidates can prevent an employer from finding a strong candidate only to discover later that the salary structure does not support the intended sponsorship pathway.
What the July Update Means for Hiring From India Now
The July changes do not prevent Australian businesses from recruiting skilled workers from India. They make early planning more important.
Before starting the candidate search, employers should:
Confirm the Australian role and realistic salary range.
Understand which employer sponsored visa pathway may suit the position.
Consider whether applying from India may affect processing priority.
Build the recruitment timeline around these factors rather than assuming a fixed visa decision date.
Once the role and hiring requirements are clear, Weavings can support the India side of recruitment through candidate sourcing, screening, shortlisting and interview coordination. Learn more about overseas recruitment for Australian employers or explore overseas recruitment services.