Australia’s New Immigration Hotspots Mapped for Regional Growth

(AUSTRALIA) Australia’s next wave of immigration hotspots is shifting toward regional centers as the federal government boosts skilled places and states lean on flexible local hiring tools. For the 2025–26 financial year, the government announced a Skilled Migration Quota Expansion to 142,400 places, up from 132,200 a year earlier, to fill pressing job gaps in health care, mining, tech, and the trades.

New incentives for people who study, work, and live outside capital cities—now worth 15 points (up from 10) in the points test—are already steering applicants toward coastal hubs and inland growth towns rather than the largest cities. Officials have also reshaped the job lists: the new Occupation Shortage List (OSL) replaces the older Skilled Occupation List and is updated more quickly by states and territories. IT and health roles added in 2025 reflect where demand is strongest.

At the same time, Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs) have widened their reach, with a higher maximum applicant age of 55 and more flexible English settings, making it easier for employers in smaller cities and remote regions to sponsor talent. Most states and territories paused new skilled nominations from July 2025 while waiting for fresh allocations, signaling a short reset period before a busy second half of the year as programs reopen between July and October.

Regional performance highlights

• Queensland’s regional arc—from the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast to Townsville and Toowoomba—saw a 14.2% rise in short‑term arrivals in the year to June 2025.
• Western Australia’s outer Perth metro, Bunbury, and the state’s north (including the Pilbara and Kimberley) posted a 13.6% lift, powered by mining projects and ongoing health staffing demand.
• Tasmania recorded the fastest growth at 34.2%, with Hobart, Launceston, and Devonport drawing students and skilled workers chasing regional points and quicker permanent residency.
• The Northern Territory led the nation with a 38.4% increase, aided by DAMA settings and employer demand in health, trades, and logistics.

Policy changes overview

Several technical shifts explain why regional Australia is pulling ahead:

• The points system now gives more weight to real work history, with 20 points for 5+ years of experience, and adds 5 points for Australian qualifications. Combined with the 15 regional points, this tilts selection toward people who commit to study or work outside the capitals.
• The employer‑sponsored pathway has been rebuilt under the new Skills in Demand (SID) visa, which replaces the TSS visa. The minimum pay floor, the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT), is now AUD 76,515, raising the bar for lower‑paid roles and matching policy goals to attract mid‑ and higher‑skilled workers.
• For students, fees rose by AUD 2,000, and stricter financial and English settings now apply. A new two‑tier processing approach under Ministerial Direction 111 will favor well‑regulated institutions and stronger applicants.
• DAMAs offer broader job coverage and concessions that can bridge gaps for regional employers who cannot access the standard lists. With a higher age limit and more flexible English, DAMAs are drawing mid‑career professionals who might have missed out under regular settings.

The wider program structure is steady but reweighted. The total permanent program was set at 185,000 places in 2024–25, with:

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the bigger skilled slice and regional points boost together are the strongest push toward outer metro and regional zones since pre‑pandemic settings.

Impact on applicants and regions

Short‑term arrivals often signal future settlement patterns:

• New South Wales posted 217,640 arrivals in June 2025 (up 3.7%), but much of the regional action is outside Sydney—Newcastle, Wollongong, the Central Coast, and inland cities are the main landing zones.
• Victoria recorded 152,730 arrivals (down 1.3%), reflecting a policy preference for regional placements over Melbourne.
• South Australia saw 15,680 arrivals (up 2.2%), with Adelaide’s outer metro, Mount Gambier, and the Riverland building capacity under regional settings.
• The ACT recorded 6,950 arrivals (up 11%), where regional incentives also apply.

The OSL’s quicker updates are a practical win for applicants and employers. State and territory teams can respond to local shortages by adding roles, especially in fast‑moving sectors. That helps both young graduates and experienced workers—software engineers, nurses, aged care workers, electricians—who might otherwise wait months for national updates.

The pause on state nominations from July 2025 is temporary and designed to reset programs to match the Skilled Migration Quota Expansion. Applicants should watch state portals for reopening windows between July and October, as many programs will fill fast once new allocations land.

The SID visa’s higher TSMIT means some employers will pivot from lower‑paid roles to higher‑value jobs where salaries meet the threshold. DAMAs can offer targeted concessions where the local economy depends on mid‑skill roles that don’t reach standard pay floors, such as in agriculture, aged care, or tourism. The mix of SID and DAMA pathways lets regions tailor solutions—employers in the Pilbara or Kimberley can fill specialist mining and maintenance roles, while hospitals in Hobart or Darwin can bring in nurses and allied health staff through the most suitable stream.

Practical checklist for applicants

Applicants planning moves this year and next have a clear path:

1. Check the Occupation Shortage List updates for your field and state or territory.
2. Maximize points with regional study or work, Australian qualifications, and sustained experience.
3. Pick a pathway:
   • Regional skilled visas for independent applicants
   • SID visa for employer sponsorship
   • DAMA route if an employer in a designated area can nominate you
4. Track state nomination pages for reopening dates between July and October.
5. Prepare for the SID salary floor, higher student visa fees, and tougher English and financial checks.
6. Be ready to settle and work in your chosen regional area to keep your pathway to permanent residency on track.

Employer and local government actions

Employers should plan hiring cycles around the state nomination pause. Many agencies will reopen nomination streams in stages between July and October as they receive new quotas. Early preparation can save months:

• Align job descriptions to the OSL.
• Set salary budgets that meet the AUD 76,515 TSMIT for SID cases.
• Be ready to sponsor under DAMA where available.

Local governments are pushing for balanced growth. Policy analysts say the regional tilt helps ease pressure on housing and services in the biggest cities while meeting real job needs in smaller centers. Business groups back the DAMA and SID changes as practical tools to fill hard‑to‑staff roles. Community groups want more funding for housing, transport, and settlement services to ensure new arrivals can thrive.

Population forecasts suggest Australia could reach 34.6 million by 2046, with a growing share of that growth in regional centers if current settings hold.

Regional case studies and pathways

• Townsville: mixes health, defense, and education jobs—strong pull for professionals and families.
• Bunbury: links industry and port activity with rising demand for trades.
• Northern Territory: DAMAs meet needs in construction and health; higher age cap attracts seasoned workers who bring training and supervision skills.
• Tasmania: universities and hospitals benefit from 15 regional points, drawing students who plan long‑term careers and families seeking a calmer lifestyle.

For applicants weighing choices between Sydney or Melbourne and a regional city, the math often turns on the points swing and the chance of a quicker invitation. Under the refreshed points test, a nurse with several years of experience and a recent Australian qualification may reach a competitive score only with the 15 regional points, making the difference between waiting and receiving an invitation this year. That is why outer metro areas—such as Adelaide’s northern and southern growth corridors or Perth’s outer ring—are becoming core immigration hotspots.

What to watch July–October

• State and territory nomination programs reopening in waves as fresh quotas arrive.
• Faster OSL updates that add IT, health, and trade roles where shortages worsen.
• Employers scaling up SID sponsorships that meet the new salary floor, and using DAMAs to backfill mid‑skill regional roles.
• More targeted campaigns by states to direct newcomers to growth corridors outside capital cores.

For official details on program planning levels and streams, the Department of Home Affairs provides updated guidance at the Migration Program Planning Levels page: homeaffairs.gov.au Migration Program. Applicants using SkillSelect to submit an Expression of Interest should keep records current as state reopening dates approach, since some states may issue invitations on short notice once their allocations reset.

Australia’s immigration hotspots are no longer just big‑city postcodes. In 2025, the combination of a larger skilled intake, 15 regional points, a flexible OSL, the SID visa with a higher pay floor, and broader DAMA settings is redrawing settlement maps. The strongest growth now runs through regional Queensland, Western Australia’s outer metro and north, Tasmania’s cities, and the Northern Territory—places where employers need people, and where policy now gives newcomers a faster, clearer route to build a life.