The single biggest practical change in the 2026 CPD rules: you can no longer complete a whole year of CPD online in one day. Here is exactly what the cap says, what it counts, and how to plan around it without losing points.
The rule
Under the Migration Agents (CPD Activities, Approval of CPD Providers and CPD Provider Standards) Instrument 2026 (LIN 26/001), no more than 6 CPD points completed through online activities count in any continuous 24-hour period. Do more and only 6 are counted. The previous instrument allowed 10.
What the cap covers
All online CPD, combined. Online Category A workshops (Zoom), online seminars and online private study all count toward the same 6. It is not 6 per type.
A 24-hour period, not a calendar day. The OMARA's wording is a 24-hour period. Do not assume the counter resets at midnight: plan on 6 points per day with the second day's activities starting no earlier than the first day's did.
Face-to-face activities are outside it. An in-person workshop is not online learning, so a two-day in-person conference is unaffected. Almost all CPD for migration agents is now delivered online, so in practice the cap applies to most agents.
It limits what counts, not what you may do. You can sit a fourth 2-point online workshop in a day; the OMARA just will not count the points beyond 6.
When it started
LIN 26/001 commenced on 1 April 2026. Under the transitional rule, activities commenced or completed on or before 30 June 2026 are assessed under the old framework for repeat-registration applications lodged by 31 March 2027, which is why some providers describe the cap as starting on 1 July 2026. For anything you complete now, the 6-point cap applies. All the 2026 changes →
What it means for a 10-point year
Plan
Counted
Verdict
10 online points in one day
6
4 points wasted. Was legal before 1 July 2026, not now.
6 online points on day 1, 4 on day 2
10
The minimum: two separate days.
Three 2-point Zoom workshops on Saturday, two on Sunday
10
A CPD Weekend done correctly: pick three sessions one day, two the next.
Four 2-point Zoom workshops on Saturday
6
The fourth is not counted. Move it to Sunday.
5 modules in an evening, then a 2-point live session next morning
7 at most, depending on the 24-hour window
Risky: if the live session starts within 24 hours of the first module, it may be outside the count. Leave a clear gap.
Remember the other half of the rules: at least 5 of your 10 points must be Category A, which means live, interactive sessions on a schedule. The cap and the Category A minimum together are why last-minute CPD now takes at least a weekend. Last-minute CPD, honestly →
How to stay inside it
Count points, not sessions. A 2-hour workshop is 2 points. Three of them is your 6 for the day.
Spread the year. Agents who do one or two activities a month never meet the cap. A work-back plan →
Keep timestamps. Certificates show the completion date; live-session certificates also carry the session time. If the OMARA queries a cluster of completions, the timestamps settle it.
Check what you have. The calculator tells you the minimum number of days your remaining points need.
Get your CPD done with Widen CPD
OMARA-approved provider PPA10000420. Live Category A sessions and self-paced Category B modules — including the mandatory ethics and Code of Conduct topics — at A$30 incl. GST each, or a 10-point CPD Points Pass for A$220 that covers the whole year.
No. Since LIN 26/001 only 6 points from online activities count in any 24-hour period. Activities completed on or before 30 June 2026 are assessed under the old 10-point allowance for applications lodged by 31 March 2027.
Does the 6-point cap apply to live Zoom workshops?
Yes. A Zoom workshop is online learning. Online Category A sessions and online private study are added together against the same 6-point cap.
Is the 24-hour period a calendar day?
The OMARA’s wording is a 24-hour period. The safe reading is a rolling window: plan on 6 points per day and start the second day no earlier than you started the first.
Does the cap apply to in-person CPD?
No. The cap applies to activities undertaken through online learning. A face-to-face workshop or conference is not limited by it.
General information for registered migration agents, not legal advice. CPD requirements are set by the OMARA under the Migration Agents (CPD Activities, Approval of CPD Providers and CPD Provider Standards) Instrument 2026 (LIN 26/001) — confirm your current obligations and renewal dates at mara.gov.au. Widen CPD is an OMARA-approved CPD provider.
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