In short: The 2026–27 permanent Migration Program, announced on 12 May 2026, sets 185,000 places: 132,240 skilled, 52,460 family and 300 special eligibility. Within the skilled stream, employer-sponsored visas get 58,040 places, state and territory nomination 35,500, skilled independent 21,090 and regional 14,110. Of the total, 129,590 places prioritise applicants already onshore, which favours Nepali graduates and workers already living and working in Australia.
Key takeaways
- Employer-sponsored is the largest skilled category, so a sponsoring employer is the single most valuable asset an applicant can have.
- State and territory nomination has more places than the independent 189 and the regional category combined; where you live and work matters.
- The 129,590 onshore-priority places favour 485 and 482 holders already here over offshore applicants.
- The family stream's 52,460 places include partner visas, which remain demand-driven in practice.
- A permanent visa granted in 2026–27 arrives in a housing market with a no-income-cap First Home Guarantee and, for now, an RBA cash rate of 4.35%.
Planning levels are not quotas for any nationality and they do not guarantee anyone a visa. What they do is signal where the government wants places to go, and the 2026–27 settings favour people with employers, state support and an onshore address. At the time of writing (September 2026) the year is underway and Home Affairs is issuing invitations and processing nominations against these numbers. This post reads the figures from a Nepali applicant's point of view and, because we are a mortgage broker, from a future home buyer's. Check the current program on Home Affairs and use a MARA-registered agent for advice on your case.
The numbers
| Stream and category | Places 2026–27 | Share of program |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled stream | 132,240 | 71% |
| Employer-Sponsored | 58,040 | 31% |
| State and Territory Nominated | 35,500 | 19% |
| Skilled Independent (189) | 21,090 | 11% |
| Regional (491 and 494) | 14,110 | 8% |
| Family stream | 52,460 | 28% |
| Special Eligibility | 300 | under 1% |
| Total | 185,000 | 100% |
| Places prioritising onshore applicants | 129,590 | 70% |
Shares are rounded. The skilled stream also contains smaller categories not broken out here; the categories listed are the ones that matter for most Nepali applicants.
What the numbers mean for Nepali applicants
If you are on a 482 with a sponsor
You are in the largest category. The 186 Temporary Residence Transition after two years with an approved sponsor, with the two years portable across sponsors, is the mainstream pathway for Nepali chefs, aged care workers, IT professionals and engineers. Keep your employment continuous and documented. Our post on the 482 to 186 pathway covers the money side.
If you are chasing a 189
The independent category has 21,090 places nationally across every occupation, so competition for accountants, IT professionals and other crowded occupations stays intense. A realistic plan usually includes a 190 or 491 application in parallel. Points strategy is in our points test explainer.
If you are on a 485
The onshore priority is aimed at you. Employers and states both prefer applicants already working in Australia, which means the best use of a 485 is a full-time skilled job in a state whose list includes your occupation. Read the student visa to PR roadmap.
If you are applying for a partner visa
The family stream has 52,460 places. Partner visas are processed largely on demand, and the planning figure is less of a constraint than processing time. The financial evidence you build for the visa doubles as home-loan evidence; see partner visa pathway to PR.
If you are still in Nepal
Offshore applicants are not excluded, but with 129,590 places prioritising onshore applicants, the practical route for many is to arrive first, on a student, 482 or 491 visa, and apply from inside Australia.
What a 2026–27 grant means for buying a home
The Migration Program decides who gets PR. Housing policy decides what PR is worth in dollars, and at the time of writing it is worth a lot.
- First Home Guarantee: 5% deposit, no lenders mortgage insurance, no income cap and unlimited places for citizens and permanent residents buying their first home, up to $950,000 in Melbourne and Geelong, $1,500,000 in Sydney, Newcastle and the Illawarra, and lower caps elsewhere. Details on Housing Australia and in our First Home Guarantee guide.
- Victoria: no duty for first home buyers to $600,000, a concession to $750,000, and a $10,000 grant for a new home up to $750,000.
- Foreign-buyer rules end at grant: no FIRB approval, no 8% Victorian surcharge, no ban on established homes, which for temporary residents now runs to 30 June 2029.
- RBA cash rate 4.35%, held in August 2026, with the next decision on 29 September 2026.
Worked example: a 186 grant in November 2026
Deepak, a chef in Cranbourne, and his wife Rita, a childcare educator, reach the 186 in November. Combined income $118,000; savings $45,000. They buy an established $640,000 house.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Deposit at 5% under the First Home Guarantee | $32,000 |
| Lenders mortgage insurance | $0 |
| Victorian first-home-buyer duty at $640,000 | About $8,925 (a proportion of the $33,470 general duty) |
| Conveyancing, inspections and moving | About $3,500 |
| Cash needed | About $44,400 |
| Loan | $608,000 |
| Repayment, for illustration at 6.00% p.a. over 30 years | About $3,645 a month |
The lender tests the loan at 9.00% under the APRA buffer, about $4,892 a month, which their income supports. Had the same purchase happened on the 482 the house would have been off-limits as an established dwelling, and a new one would have cost a 20% deposit, FIRB approval and $51,200 in foreign purchaser duty. Check your own figures with the stamp duty calculator and the borrowing power calculator.
What to do now
- Confirm your pathway with a MARA-registered agent against the 2026–27 settings rather than last year's.
- Keep employment stable and documented; it is the common thread through employer sponsorship, state nomination and lending.
- Save automatically and lawfully. Nepal Rastra Bank prohibits capital transfers from Nepal to buy property abroad, so build the deposit from Australian income or documented gifts from family in Australia.
- Get a lender-ready file assessed six months before the expected grant through our home loans for visa holders service.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a quota for Nepali applicants in the Migration Program?
No. Planning levels are set by stream and category, not by country. Nepali applicants compete within each category on the same rules as everyone else. The onshore priority and the size of the employer-sponsored and state-nominated categories are what shape a Nepali applicant's chances in 2026–27.
Does 185,000 places mean processing will be faster?
Not necessarily. Planning levels set how many visas can be granted, not how fast applications are decided, and processing times are published separately by Home Affairs. The onshore priority may help applicants already in Australia, but the safest assumption is that your application takes as long as the published time.
Can I buy a home before my visa is granted under this program?
While you hold a temporary or bridging visa you are a foreign person, so at the time of writing you cannot buy an established dwelling until at least 30 June 2029, and a new dwelling needs FIRB approval and attracts a surcharge. Most applicants wait for the grant and buy as first home buyers with a 5% deposit.
Do the numbers change during the year?
The planning levels are set for the financial year, but Home Affairs can adjust allocations between categories, and state nomination allocations are set separately for each state. Treat any figure as current only until the next announcement, and check the department's website before relying on it.
Talk to GNT Finance
Whatever category your visa comes through, the loan is our part. Gorakh Timilsina speaks Nepali, spent years assessing loan applications as a senior credit officer, and works with new permanent residents across Melbourne and, by phone and video, Australia-wide, including through our Sydney mortgage broker service. There is no cost to you for our home-loan service in most cases. Book a free consultation or call 0426 403 703, or start with our Nepali mortgage broker page.
This is general information, not migration, legal, tax or credit advice. Migration rules change often — confirm with a registered migration agent (MARA) or the Department of Home Affairs.
Written by Gorakh Timilsina
Founder, CEO & Senior Mortgage Consultant at GNT Finance. Gorakh started as a broker assistant, spent years as a senior credit officer assessing loan applications, and now helps Melbourne families get the right loan approved. English, Nepali and Hindi spoken.