The Australian Government has introduced travel restrictions for certain visa holders and changes to skills assessing authorities for specific occupations. New measures affect offshore Iranian Visitor (Subclass 600) visa holders, while separate amendments update assessing authorities for Surveyor and Information and Organisation Professionals NEC occupations. Arrival Control Determination (Subclass 600 – Iranian passport holders)

A new determination, effective from 26 March 2026, temporarily suspends the validity of Visitor (Subclass 600) visas for certain offshore applicants who applied using an Iranian passport.

This applies only to individuals who were outside Australia at the time the determination commenced. Affected visa holders will not receive refunds unless they meet specific criteria.

Exemptions:

Immediate family members of Australian citizens or permanent residents
Parents of children under 18 in Australia
Individuals already in Australia at the time of commencement
Holders of a valid Permitted Travel Certificate (PTC)

PTC (Permitted Travel Certificate):

A request for a Permitted Travel Certificate (PTC) can be made through the Department’s Arrival Control Determination Portal. Applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis and are only granted in limited circumstances. These may include individuals who are the parent of an Australian citizen or can demonstrate a genuine intention to stay in Australia temporarily.

A PTC request must include a strong submission with supporting evidence. Further details on required documentation are available on the Department’s website.

Requests should be lodged:

at least 2 weeks before the intended travel date, and
no more than 2 months prior to travel

Individuals who are granted a PTC may travel to Australia if they hold a valid visa. However, they must also provide evidence that travel restrictions do not apply to them before departure.

Arrival Control Determination Check

Before travelling, individuals should check whether their Visitor visa has been affected. This can be done by requesting an Arrival Control Determination check through the Department of Home Affairs’ Arrival Control Determination Portal.

Skills Assessing Authority Updates

The Migration Legislation Amendment (Assessing Authorities) Instrument 2026 (LIN 26/027) introduces important updates to the Institution of Surveyors New South Wales Ltd (ISNSW) as the assessing authority specified for the occupation of Surveyor. All changes under this instrument come into effect from 28 March 2026.

Surveyor Occupation (ANZSCO 232212)

The Institution of Surveyors New South Wales Ltd (ISNSW) is now the official assessing authority, as announced in October 2025. This follows the liquidation of the Geospatial Council of Australia (GCA) on 21 August 2025.

Transitional arrangements:

Transitional arrangements provide that applications made on or after 8 October 2025 fall under ISNSW. Applicants who obtained skills assessments from GCA on or before 21 August 2025 may continue to use those assessments to support visa applications lodged before, on, or after 28 March 2026.

Clarification has been made regarding assessing authorities, with VETASSESS designated as the primary authority, while ACS will assess applicants applying specifically as Data Scientists. This amendment applies to applications lodged but not finalised on or after 14 December 2024.

Click here: Migration (Arrival Control) Determination 2026

Arrival Control Determination (ACD) Checks

Migration Legislation Amendment (Assessing Authorities) Instrument 2026