Australia has announced major changes to its migration system and construction workers and employers are directly affected.
On 17 September 2026, the Australian Government announced the next stage of migration reforms, covering skilled migration, construction, Working Holiday Maker visas, student visas, visitor visas and visa compliance.
For tradies and construction businesses, there is one particularly important development:
Construction has been identified as a priority sector for skilled migration processing.
The Government has also announced changes to the skilled migration points test, including plans for people with skills in housing trades to receive the same number of points as a university qualification under the new points test.
So, what do these changes mean for tradies and employers?
Construction is a priority
The Australian Government has recognised the need for skilled workers in construction and is changing migration settings to help attract the skills Australia needs.
Construction is included in the updated skilled migration processing priorities under Ministerial Direction 119. The current Department of Home Affairs information places construction, healthcare and teaching occupations in a high processing priority, particularly where the applicant is already in Australia.
The Government has also announced that, under the new points test when implemented, housing trades will receive the same number of points as a university qualification.
This is a significant development for Australia’s construction workforce and highlights the demand for skilled tradespeople.
What does this mean for tradies?
If you’re a qualified tradesperson looking to work in Australia, your qualifications and work experience can be an important part of your migration pathway.
Depending on the visa you are applying for, requirements can include your occupation, qualifications, work experience, English language ability and other eligibility criteria.
But getting the visa is only part of the process.
Once you’re working in Australia, you may also need to provide employers with evidence of your:
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Visa status and work rights
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Trade qualifications
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White Card
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High-risk work licences
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Driver licence
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Safety tickets
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Working at Heights training
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Confined Space training
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Medicals
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Mobilisation information
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Resume and work history
Keeping this information organised can make moving between employers and projects much easier.
Tradie Pass and VEVO checks
This is where Tradie Pass can help.
Tradie Pass can perform VEVO checks to help verify a worker’s current Australian visa status and work rights.
For companies employing or onboarding migrant workers, being able to check work rights is an important part of workforce compliance.
Tradie Pass can bring this together with the rest of a worker’s compliance information, including tickets, licences, qualifications and other workforce documentation.
What is VEVO?
VEVO stands for Visa Entitlement Verification Online.
It is an Australian Government service used to check visa details and conditions, including information about a person’s visa and work rights.
For employers, checking the appropriate work rights before a worker starts can form an important part of the onboarding process.
For tradies, keeping your visa information organised can make it easier when you’re moving between employers or projects.
Working Holiday Maker visa changes
Another major announcement affects Working Holiday Makers.
The Government has announced that second- and third-year Working Holiday Maker visas will move to a ballot system, while regional work requirements will remain.
For a second year, applicants will still need to meet the existing regional work requirement of 88 days to qualify for the ballot.
The second-year ballot will be limited to 45,000 places.
For a third year, applicants will still need to complete the applicable regional work requirement, currently six months, and the ballot will be limited to 5,000 places.
The Government says processing times for Working Holiday Maker applications will also be stabilised at around three months.
Why does this matter to construction?
Working Holiday Makers are part of Australia’s temporary workforce.
For construction businesses employing temporary workers, it is important to understand the worker’s current visa conditions and work rights.
A visa document alone isn’t necessarily enough — employers should ensure they are checking the current status and conditions that apply to the worker.
This is where a VEVO check can be useful.
Changes affecting international students
The Government has also announced changes affecting international students and graduate visa holders.
The reforms include restricting secondary applicants on most student visas, with some exceptions.
The Government says these changes are intended to improve the integrity of the student visa system and reduce visa hopping.
For businesses employing people who have moved from study into the workforce, keeping track of visa status and work rights remains important.
Visitor visa changes
The Government has also announced that a No Further Stay condition will be attached to all visitor visas.
The stated aim is to ensure visitor visas are used by genuine visitors rather than as a pathway to extending a person’s stay in Australia.
These changes are being progressively rolled out, so anyone affected should check the current requirements for their particular visa.
Visa compliance is becoming increasingly important
The latest reforms also include stronger compliance measures aimed at people who remain in Australia without a valid visa.
For employers, this is another reason why having a clear workforce compliance process is important.
When onboarding a worker, companies should consider checking:
Identity
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Passport
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Driver licence
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Other identification
Visa and work rights
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Current visa
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Visa conditions
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Work rights
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Visa expiry
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VEVO information
Tickets and qualifications
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Trade qualifications
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White Card
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High-risk licences
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Safety tickets
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Site-specific training
Renewals
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Ticket expiry dates
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Refresher training
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Medicals
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Licence renewals
Having this information organised can save time when workers move onto new projects or employers.
Some training needs to be refreshed even when a ticket doesn’t technically expire
One area that can cause confusion for tradies is training that may not have a straightforward expiry date but is still subject to employer, project or industry refresher requirements.
For example, employers or projects may require workers to refresh training such as:
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Working at Heights
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Confined Space
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First Aid
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Other safety or high-risk training
Requirements can vary depending on the employer, project, state and particular training.
Tradie Pass helps tradies keep their training records organised and can help them find training providers when they need to update their skills.
How Tradie Pass helps tradies
Tradie Pass is designed to give tradies one place to manage their important workforce information.
Tradies can keep information such as:
Tickets + Licences + Qualifications + Resume + Mobilisation Information + Visa Information
all together in their Tradie Pass profile.
They can also receive reminders about documents that need attention and easily share relevant information when moving to a new employer or project.
How Tradie Pass helps companies
For construction companies, recruitment businesses and contractors, managing a workforce can involve a large amount of documentation.
Tradie Pass provides a web portal where companies can manage worker compliance information.
This can include checking documentation, managing tickets and licences, monitoring expiry dates and carrying out VEVO checks for applicable workers.
Instead of searching through emails, spreadsheets, paper records and different systems, companies can have workforce compliance information organised in one place.
Moving to Australia to work as a tradie?
If you’re planning to move to Australia to work in construction, the latest migration changes could be particularly relevant.
Australia has identified construction as a priority sector for skilled migration processing, and the Government has announced changes intended to better recognise the skills needed to build homes and support the economy.
But getting your visa is only the beginning.
Once you’re working in Australia, you’ll need to keep your tickets, qualifications, licences and work-rights information organised and up to date.
Tradie Pass is designed to help you do exactly that.
One place for your workforce compliance
Whether you’re a tradie looking for your next job or a company managing hundreds of workers, keeping compliance information organised can make workforce management easier.
With Tradie Pass, tradies can:
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Store their tickets and licences
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Keep their resume and mobilisation information together
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Receive expiry reminders
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Find training providers
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Share their information with employers
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Keep visa information organised
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Access relevant compliance information from their phone
Companies can:
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Manage worker compliance information
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Review tickets and licences
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Track upcoming expiries
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Request worker documentation
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Manage workforce records
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Perform VEVO checks for applicable workers
Australia’s workforce is changing. Is your compliance system ready?
The latest migration reforms demonstrate the continued focus on attracting the skills Australia needs, with construction specifically identified as a priority sector.
For migrant tradies, keeping your documentation organised can make moving between employers and projects easier.
For construction companies, having a reliable process for checking qualifications, tickets, licences and work rights can help streamline onboarding and workforce compliance.
Tradie Pass brings your workforce compliance information together in one place.
Ready to get organised?
For Tradies:
Keep your tickets, licences, resume, mobilisation information and visa information together in Tradie Pass.
For Companies:
Start your free 30 day Trial and manage your workforce compliance and VEVO checks alongside your other worker documentation Here.
Your tickets. Your qualifications. Your workforce. One place.
Important information
This article provides general information about Australian migration policy changes announced by the Australian Government on 17 September 2026. Migration rules and implementation arrangements can change.
Tradie Pass is not a migration agent and this article is not immigration or legal advice. Always check the current requirements with the Australian Department of Home Affairs or a registered migration professional before making decisions about a visa or migration pathway.
