1.2 Million Arrive as Net Overseas Migration Surges, Department of Home Affairs Reports

(AUSTRALIA) — Australia recorded 480,520 net permanent and long-term arrivals in 2025, setting a new high for annual movement into the country and extending a run of elevated migration that has reshaped population growth over the past three years.

The 2025 total was up 8.1% from 2024 and 63% higher than pre-pandemic 2019 levels. Over the twelve months to October 31, 2025, Australia also logged 476,070 net arrivals, the highest 12-month figure on record.

Those results place 2025 at the center of a broader surge, not as a stand-alone spike but as part of a sustained period of heavy inflows. They also sharpen focus on the scale of movement captured in both net permanent and long-term arrivals and net overseas migration, which measure different parts of the same population story.

Across the three full financial years of the Albanese government, from 2022-23 through 2024-25, net overseas migration totaled 1.27 million people. That was the highest three-year period on record and four times the post-WWII average.

Set against that longer view, the latest annual result shows how unusually persistent the increase has been. A single strong year can reflect temporary distortions, but a three-year total of 1.27 million points to sustained inflows on a scale not seen before in Australia’s post-war migration history.

The yearly pace has, however, started to slow from its earlier peak. In the 2024-25 financial year, net overseas migration added 306,000 people to Australia’s population, down from 430,000 in the previous year.

That decline matters because it shows the surge has already begun to ease even while overall levels remain historically high. The government’s own figures therefore show two trends at once: moderation from the earlier high point and migration totals that still sit far above older norms.

The benchmark for that earlier peak came in 2023, when net overseas migration reached 518,000. The Population Statement released on January 9, 2026 said the figure is expected to fall to 260,000 in 2026, almost 50% below that 2023 peak.

Even with that projected slowdown, the recent totals remain large enough to define the migration era that followed the pandemic. The 2025 result for net permanent and long-term arrivals, combined with the 1.27 million net overseas migration total over three financial years, shows how the rebound in border movement turned into a prolonged period of high intake.

The mechanics of that increase were visible in the balance between people arriving for extended periods and those leaving. In 2025, Australia recorded 1.15 million long-term arrivals, offset by 672,100 departures.

That gap produced the record 480,520 in net permanent and long-term arrivals. The rolling total of 476,070 in the twelve months to October 31, 2025 showed the high level was not confined to one point in the calendar year.

A large temporary visa population also sits behind the overall numbers. The Department of Home Affairs reported close to 3 million people holding temporary visas as of October 2025, equivalent to over 10% of Australia’s entire population.

That stock of visa holders matters because temporary residents can shape future movement in both directions. They can add to arrivals while they remain in Australia, and when visa terms end they can also drive departures, affecting later net migration outcomes.

The figures show that Australia’s recent migration pattern has not been built solely on permanent settlement places. It has also reflected the scale of long-term arrivals and the size of the temporary population recorded by the Department of Home Affairs.

Government forecasts now point to a lower figure in 2026. The Population Statement released January 9, 2026 forecasts net overseas migration will fall to 260,000 in 2026.

The statement linked that expected decline to the end of post-pandemic demand. It also pointed to temporary visa holders reaching maximum stay periods and to tighter policy settings.

Among the policy changes shaping that outlook were new student visa integrity measures and English-language thresholds. Those changes, together with visa stay limits, form part of the government’s explanation for why annual net overseas migration is expected to continue moving down from its earlier peak.

That projected easing does not erase the scale of what has already happened. A fall to 260,000 in 2026 would still come after record net permanent and long-term arrivals in 2025 and after the largest three-year period on record for net overseas migration.

The numbers also show the difference between stock and flow in Australia’s migration system. The near 3 million temporary visa holders recorded in October 2025 describe the size of the resident temporary population at one point in time, while net overseas migration and net permanent and long-term arrivals track how movement adds to population over a year or longer period.

Taken together, those measures show why the recent period stands out historically. One captures the large population already in the country on temporary visas. Another captures the annual addition to the population. A third records the balance between long-term arrivals and departures. All three moved to unusually high levels in the same broad period.

For the permanent migration program, however, the government has kept the formal intake well below the totals implied by broader movement data. The 2025-26 permanent migration intake is fixed at 185,000 places.

Of those places, 71% are allocated to skilled migration. That allocation shows the government is still directing the permanent program toward labor market selection even as overall migration totals remain shaped by much larger temporary and long-term flows.

Within the skilled stream, some categories have been reduced while employer-linked routes remain prominent. Independent skilled visas, Subclass 189, have been cut to 16,900 places.

Employer-sponsored visas account for 44,000 places. That makes employer nomination one of the largest parts of the skilled intake for 2025-26 and points to a system that gives a large role to sponsored work pathways.

Those settings help explain the distinction between migration policy and migration outcomes. The permanent program is capped at 185,000 places, but total movement can run much higher when large numbers of temporary visa holders, international students and other long-term entrants are moving in and out of the country.

That is why the recent data can show moderation in one measure and records in another. Net overseas migration in 2024-25 fell to 306,000 from 430,000 a year earlier, yet 2025 still produced 480,520 net permanent and long-term arrivals and a record rolling annual figure of 476,070 to October 31.

The contrast also shows how the migration system has been adjusting after the pandemic reopening. The government says post-pandemic demand is ending, and its forecast for 260,000 in 2026 reflects that expectation. But the legacy of the rebound remains visible in the recent totals and in the size of the temporary visa population.

Over the longer run, the three-year total of 1.27 million may prove to be the defining figure. It captures not just one record year, but a sustained period in which net overseas migration ran at levels far above the post-WWII average.

For now, the headline number is the 2025 result itself: 480,520 net permanent and long-term arrivals, built from 1.15 million long-term arrivals and 672,100 departures, and arriving alongside close to 3 million temporary visa holders already in the country.

That combination leaves Australia with a migration record that is both immediate and cumulative — a record annual result in 2025, a record 12-month figure to October 31, and a record three-year period under the Albanese government, even as official forecasts point to a lower 2026.