The 2027 Points Test Rewrite: What’s Actually Proposed (and What’s Still Rumour)
Current as at 3 July 2026. The skilled points test has not changed — the 65-point pass mark and the existing Schedule 6D factors remain in force. Everything described below as a proposal is unlegislated and may not happen.
The 2026-27 Federal Budget, handed down on 12 May 2026, confirmed what the migration sector had expected since the points-test review began: the Government will rewrite the skilled migration points test from the ground up — the first full redesign since 2012 — with the stated aim of selecting “better educated, higher-skilled and younger” migrants.
Since then, commentary has raced ahead of the facts. Some of what is circulating is confirmed government policy; much of it is speculation dressed as news. Because lodgement decisions worth thousands of dollars turn on this, it is worth being precise about which is which.
Confirmed versus rumour
| Claim | Status |
|---|---|
| The points test will be rewritten — first ground-up redesign since 2012 | Confirmed (2026-27 Budget commitment) |
| Consultation paper released mid-2026; draft legislation targeted for ~December 2026 | Confirmed as the Government’s stated timeline — dates can slip |
| New test targeted to commence 1 July 2027 | Confirmed as a target — not yet law |
| The current test (65-point pass mark, existing factors) still applies | Confirmed — no instrument has changed it |
| Pass mark rising from 65 to 70 | Proposal only — reported ahead of consultation, unconfirmed |
| Bonus points for salary above income thresholds | Proposal only |
| Heavier weighting for age, English and qualifications | Proposal only (consistent with the Budget’s stated aims, but undefined) |
| Reduced weighting for regional study/work history | Proposal only |
| Australian-study points being removed | Speculation — treat with particular caution |
What has not changed (and what actually decides invitations)
As at today, the test is the same Schedule 6D framework applicants have used for years: a 65-point pass mark, with points for age, English, skilled employment, qualifications, Australian study, partner factors and nomination. You can check your position on our points calculator, which runs on the current legislated table with a reform banner attached.
Remember that the pass mark is a floor, not a forecast. In practice, invitation rounds have run much higher — subclass 189 invitations have typically required around 85–100 points, 190 roughly 70–85 including the nomination points, and 491 roughly 65–80 including the 15 nomination points. Any analysis of “will the pass mark rise to 70” should be read against that reality: for many candidates, competition already sits well above either number.
Should you lodge now or wait?
This is the question we are asked most, and the honest answer is that it depends on which side of the proposed changes you would likely land. A useful way to think it through:
- You are competitive under the current test (invitation-range points, valid skills assessment, English results in hand): there is little to gain by waiting. Lodge your EOI and pursue nomination now. A new test aimed at “younger, higher-skilled” selection is not certain to treat you better, and 2026-27 allocations are already published — Skilled Independent 21,090, State/Territory Nominated 35,500.
- Your points rest heavily on factors reportedly being de-weighted (for example, regional study history): the risk of waiting is asymmetric. Acting under the rules you can see beats gambling on rules you cannot.
- You are young, highly paid and strongly qualified but short of an invitation today: you are the profile the rewrite is designed to favour. Waiting may genuinely help — but keep a current EOI anyway, because the 2027 start date is a target, not a promise, and transition arrangements are entirely unknown.
- You are part-way through building points (English resit, skills assessment, professional year): keep building. Every reported proposal still rewards English, qualifications and skills — those investments carry across any plausible version of the new test.
The transition question nobody can answer yet
The consultation process will need to resolve what happens to EOIs lodged under the old test, whether invitations issued before commencement are honoured on the old rules, and how state nomination programs align. None of that is defined. History suggests points-test transitions grandfather invitations already issued but re-score waiting EOIs — which is itself an argument for converting points into an invitation sooner rather than later if you can.
Get a strategy, not a rumour
Our skilled migration team tracks the consultation as it unfolds and advises on lodge-now-versus-wait decisions against your actual points position, occupation and state options. If your permanent residence plan depends on the points test, book a consultation — we will give you a position based on the rules as they are, with a clear view of how the proposals could move them.