More signs that Aussie immigration continues to moderate

Wednesday 21 October 2026

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has released temporary visa data for the September quarter of 2026, which suggests that net overseas migration (NOM) into Australia continues to moderate.

There were 2.57 million temporary visas on issue (excluding visitors and crew), the highest level on record for a September quarter:

The following chart plots the change in temporary visa numbers by major category as a time series:

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About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.