The Migration Amendment (Combatting Migrant Exploitation) Act 2026 (Act No. 39, 2026) commenced on 8 October 2026. It gives the Department of Home Affairs a legal basis to publish information about approved work sponsors on its website. The detail of what can be published still depends on regulations, and no public register has been released yet.
What has changed
The Act inserts a new section 140GD into the Migration Act 1958. Under it, the Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs may publish on the Department's website information, including personal information, that relates to an approved work sponsor and is prescribed by regulations.
The Act lists the kinds of information the regulations may prescribe. These are:
- the kind of approved work sponsor
- the name of the approved work sponsor
- the sponsor's ABN
- the postcode (if any) associated with the sponsor's ABN
- the number of nominations the sponsor has made under subsection 140GB(1)
- the kinds of occupations covered by those nominations.
The regulations must not prescribe information that is a personal identifier, and they may set out circumstances in which the Secretary must not publish information. The Act also adds a definition of ABN to the Migration Act. The Act states that the new publishing power is an authorisation for the purposes of the Privacy Act 1988.
Who it affects
- Approved work sponsors, including businesses that sponsor workers for the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa and other employer sponsored visas. Once regulations are made, details such as your business name, ABN, postcode, number of nominations and occupations nominated may appear on the Department's website.
- Visa applicants and sponsored workers, who may in future be able to check whether a prospective employer is an approved sponsor and how many nominations it has made.
- Businesses considering sponsorship through standard business sponsorship, who should factor in that their sponsorship details may become public.
When it starts
The Act received Royal Assent on 8 April 2026. It was to commence on a day fixed by Proclamation, or otherwise the day after six months from Royal Assent. The Federal Register of Legislation records its commencement as 8 October 2026, and the Migration Act compilation registered on 15 October 2026 includes the change.
The Act enables publication but does not itself specify the final content. As at 15 October 2026, we have not found regulations on the Federal Register of Legislation prescribing the information to be published, and the Department has not announced a date for a public sponsor register. There is no published start date for the register itself.
What you should do now
- Sponsors: check that the business name, ABN and other details held by the Department are current and accurate, and continue to meet your sponsorship obligations. Information you assumed was private may become publicly visible.
- Prospective sponsors: factor this transparency into your planning if you are considering employer sponsored visas for the first time.
- Visa applicants: continue to check an employer's sponsorship status directly with the employer and through your adviser until the Department publishes a register.
- Watch for the regulations. We will update this article when the prescribed information and a publication date are confirmed.
Source
- Migration Amendment (Combatting Migrant Exploitation) Act 2026 (No. 39, 2026), Federal Register of Legislation
- Migration Act 1958, compilation versions, Federal Register of Legislation
This article is general information only and is not migration advice. Your circumstances may differ, and the law may change after publication.
If you sponsor workers or are planning to, book your consultation with Nanak Migration Group to review your sponsorship position.