Australia Tightens Immigration Policy: Controlling International Students, Backpackers, and Curbing "Visa Hopping"
- Author, Lana Lam
- Reporting from, Sydney
- Published
- Reading Time: 3 minutes
The Australian government has announced a tightening of its immigration policy, focusing on controlling international students and backpackers, and combating so-called "visa hoppers."
Foreign students will no longer be permitted to bring their family members to Australia, and those wishing to extend their stay must choose to pursue higher-level qualifications. The "working holiday visa" will also introduce a lottery system.
Australian Minister for Immigration, Tony Burke, delivered a speech titled "Managing the Migration Plan: Who Comes, Who Stays, Who Leaves" on Thursday (September 17th), announcing a series of reform measures.
He stated that although immigration is an "advantage" for Australia, it still requires "high control." The Australian government hopes to reduce net overseas migration to 225,000 by 2028.
Combating "Visa Hopping"
Regarding international student and graduate visas, Burke stated: "We will no longer allow students to automatically have the right to bring family members to Australia."
He indicated that foreign students already in Australia, as well as applicants from the Pacific and Southeast Asian countries, will be exempted. Furthermore, doctoral students can still bring their families because they are at different life stages than undergraduate students.
As for student visas, he said the government will combat the act of "visa hopping," which is when students complete one course and then apply for another course, where the latter usually belongs to a lower qualification, and sometimes even from "less formal educational institutions."
Burke stated that students can still be allowed to remain in Australia if they are pursuing higher-level qualifications. For example, completing a bachelor's degree and then pursuing a master's degree.
Working holiday visas will also undergo significant adjustments.
These visas allow individuals aged 18 to 30 to apply for them, are generally used by backpackers, and are an important source of labor for Australia's agricultural sector. They can work in Australia for 12 months and apply for extensions for the second and third years.
Currently, visa holders must work for at least three months in remote areas of Australia during the first year to qualify for the second-year visa; they must then work for another six months to qualify for the third-year visa.
Under the new measures, those eligible for the second-year visa must participate in a lottery, with a limit of 45,000 places, fewer than the 57,000 people eligible last year.
The lottery quota for the third-year visa is limited to 5,000 places, fewer than the 31,000 people eligible last year.
Due to the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement, UK backpackers are not affected by these new measures.
300,000 More Overseas Migrants in the Past Year
The latest data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday shows that over the 12 months ending March 2026, the Australian population grew by 1.4%, reaching 27.9 million people.
These figures include changes in births and deaths, as well as a net overseas migration of 292,100 people.
As the cost of living continues to rise, the capacity to afford housing decreases, and public services face greater pressure, the discussion about Australia's population size is escalating, and immigration remains an important political issue.
The right-wing populist party "One Nation," which is known for its anti-immigration stance, has seen a significant rise in support recently. The party announced its immigration policy earlier this week, suggesting a reduction of 750,000 temporary migration visas within three years.
The party won its first federal parliamentary seat in May of this year and advocates for capping net overseas migration at 130,000 people. Burke criticized this proposal, saying it could "severely damage some areas of the Australian economy."
In July this year, the Australian government introduced a new policy to prioritize family visa applications submitted within Australia, meaning applicants must be physically in Australia when submitting their applications, rather than applying from overseas.
Skilled migrants who have already applied for permanent residency within Australia are also given priority over those who apply from overseas.
The government has also temporarily suspended working holiday visa applications from 24 countries, but the UK is not included in this restriction.
Violet Roumeliotis of Settlement Services International, an organization that assists new immigrants in settling in Australia, said that the debate on immigration is increasingly driven by "short-term political considerations rather than what is most in the interest of the country."
She said: "The changes proposed regarding family visas for international students are a good example of this."
She added that this will make it harder for Australia to compete with other countries and attract "future talent."
We used artificial intelligence to assist with the translation of this article; the original text is in English. The BBC reporters checked the translation before publication.