Points Test Changes for Trades in 2026: What Has Been Announced and What Has Not

What was announced

In his National Press Club speech the Minister said the first part of dealing with who arrives was "the reform of the points test", which he linked to the productivity roundtable held straight after the election. He said: "we have redone the points test in consultation with Treasury to make sure that we are for our skilled program, particularly the permanent part of the skilled program, getting the best possible economic benefit for Australia out of the people who come to move here on skilled visas."

On trades he said the new test has "an unusual capacity … within the points test to be able to choose particular skills which will have an uplift so that they will be viewed as though they were a higher level of qualification. So with that, whereas you normally get more points for a university course than you get for a TAFE or trade, it will be the case under the new points test that we will, on implementation, be making sure that anyone who is skilled in the housing trades will get the same number of points as though it were a university qualification, to make sure that we are getting the construction trades that we desperately need."

He also gave a context figure: "We used to bring 4,500, last financial year the number of construction workers we brought in was just shy of 15,000." That is the Minister's figure, from the speech.

The points test change is in the speech but not in the media release or the Home Affairs summary page of the same day. Those documents list other measures and do not mention it.

What the points test awards for qualifications today

The General Points Test is in Schedule 6D of the Migration Regulations 1994. According to the explanatory statement to a September 2026 instrument, it applies to the points-tested Skilled Independent (subclass 189), Skilled Nominated (190), Skilled Regional (Provisional) (489) and Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) (491) visas.

The Home Affairs points table (last updated 11 June 2026 on the page we read) lists these points for educational qualifications:

- A doctorate from an Australian educational institution, or from another institution if of a recognised standard: 20 points.
- At least a bachelor degree from an Australian institution, or a bachelor qualification from another institution of a recognised standard: 15 points.
- A diploma or trade qualification from an Australian educational institution: 10 points.
- A qualification or award recognised by the relevant assessing authority for your nominated skilled occupation as suitable for that occupation: 10 points.

Home Affairs adds: "For points based migration you will receive points for your highest qualification only."

This is the gap the Minister was describing: a trade qualification scores 10 and a bachelor degree scores 15. The announcement is that, for the housing trades, the trade would score as if it were the higher level. It does not say whether that means 15 points, or a different number, because the speech says only "the same number of points as though it were a university qualification".

Other points categories relevant to people with Australian study are separate. The table gives 5 points for meeting the Australian study requirement, 5 for a Professional Year in accounting, ICT or engineering, 5 for a credentialled community language, and 10 for a specialist education qualification. The specialist qualification is a master's degree by research or a doctorate from an Australian institution that included at least two academic years of study in a listed science, technology, engineering, mathematics or ICT field. It is not a general STEM qualification at bachelor level.

Status: announced, not in the law

As at 12 October 2026 the position is as follows.

- No amendment to Schedule 6D has been made. The Federal Register of Legislation shows no amendment to the Migration Regulations since the one made for the student visa reforms, which started on 2 October 2026 and does not touch the points test.
- The Home Affairs points table still shows the table above.
- A migration instrument registered in September 2026, the Migration (Fields of Education) Instrument 2026, is sometimes mistaken for the change. It is not. Its explanatory statement says it repeals and replaces an older instrument that was about to sunset on 1 October 2026, keeps the existing list of science, technology, engineering and ICT fields for the specialist education points, and "ensur[es] that the General Points Test will continue to operate in its current form".
- The ABC reported on 12 October 2026 that Labor "also redesigned the skilled migration points test to give greater recognition to construction trades, with those regulatory changes made about two weeks ago." We searched the Federal Register for a matching instrument and found none, and the Home Affairs table is unchanged. We therefore treat the change as announced and not in force, and we will update this page if an instrument appears.

One firm of migration lawyers has reported that the wider points test rewrite is not expected before mid-2027. We have not seen a source for that, so we do not rely on it.

What the Minister did not say

These questions have no published answer as at 12 October 2026:

- Which occupations count as "housing trades". The speech does not list them.
- How many points a housing trade qualification will receive.
- Whether the uplift applies to trade qualifications gained overseas, or only Australian ones. The current table distinguishes them.
- Which visas the new test applies to. The speech refers to the skilled program and "particularly the permanent part", without naming subclasses. Schedule 6D currently covers the 189, 190, 489 and 491.
- When it starts. The speech says "on implementation".
- What else changes in the redesigned test. The only detail given is the trades uplift.
- Whether people who have already lodged an expression of interest are affected.

On transitional rules, there is nothing to report. No instrument exists, so there are no application or transitional provisions to read. Do not assume a person already invited, or already holding a valid skills assessment, is treated one way or another.

How the points test differs from the processing priority order

Two different things have been reported together. The points test decides how many points an applicant has. It matters for invitations in SkillSelect. The processing priority Directions, 121 and 122, decide the order in which lodged applications are considered. Directions 121 and 122 are in force from 19 September 2026 and define "construction occupations" by ANZSCO codes. That definition is about queue order. It does not change points, and it should not be read as the points test change.

For example, the 189 page on the Home Affairs site still says the next invitation round for the Skilled Independent visa will be held on 15 October 2026 under the current test.

Trades pages and assessing authorities

Many trade occupations need a skills assessment from Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) or another body before they can be used in a points-tested application. The announcement does not change the skills assessment requirement. Our pages on moving to Australia as a plumber, electrician or carpenter and on the TRA trade skills assessment describe the process as it stands. They will be updated once an instrument is published.

The points test is also separate from state nomination criteria, which each state and territory sets and changes on its own.

What is not decided yet and what to watch

Watch for these, in order of importance:

- An amending regulation to Schedule 6D on legislation.gov.au, with its commencement and application provisions.
- Any new points table or occupation list on the Home Affairs site.
- Whether the instrument applies to people who lodged an expression of interest before it starts.
- A change to the ministerial release pages, which at the time of writing do not mention the points test.

This page is dated 12 October 2026. If you are weighing a decision that depends on the points test, speak to a MARA-registered migration agent who can look at your facts and the current text.

Do housing trades now get the same points as a degree?

Not yet in law. The Minister announced it on 17 September 2026 and said it would happen "on implementation", but as at 12 October 2026 we found no amending regulation and the Home Affairs points table is unchanged.

How many points does a trade qualification get at the moment?

According to the Home Affairs points table, a diploma or trade qualification from an Australian educational institution scores 10 points, and a bachelor degree scores 15. You get points for your highest qualification only.

Which trades are "housing trades"?

The speech does not say. No list has been published. The construction occupations in Directions 121 and 122 are a separate list used for processing order and should not be read as the points test list.

Which visas use the points test?

Schedule 6D applies to the 189 (points-tested stream), 190, 489 and 491, according to a Home Affairs explanatory statement. The announced redesign was described for the skilled program, particularly the permanent part.

Was the change in the media release?

No. The points test redesign is in the Minister's speech of 17 September 2026 but not in the media release or the Home Affairs policy changes page.

The ABC says the regulations were made two weeks ago. Is that right?

The ABC reported that on 12 October 2026. We could not find a matching instrument on the Federal Register of Legislation and the Home Affairs table still shows the old figures, so we treat it as unconfirmed.

Is the STEM qualification worth points for any bachelor degree?

No. The 10 points for a specialist education qualification are for a master's degree by research or a doctorate from an Australian institution, with at least two academic years of study in a listed field.