Key facts
- Australia will reduce immigration by targeting international students and backpackers.
- International students will generally not be able to bring family members, with exceptions for PhD candidates and students from Pacific/Southeast Asian nations.
- Students seeking to extend their visas must enroll in a higher qualification.
- Working holiday visas will be subject to a ballot system with caps of 45,000 for a second year and 5,000 for a third year.
- Changes to working holiday visas do not apply to UK citizens due to a free trade agreement.
- The government aims to reduce net overseas migration to 225,000 by 2028.
Australia is implementing stricter migration rules targeting international students and backpackers to curb immigration, with the government aiming to reduce net overseas migration to 225,000 people by 2028. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced the changes on Thursday.
Under the new regulations, international students will generally not be permitted to bring their family members to Australia, though exceptions exist for PhD candidates and students from Pacific and Southeast Asian nations. Students wishing to extend their visas must enroll in a higher qualification, and the government will crack down on "visa hopping," where individuals complete a lower qualification, sometimes with "not so legitimate providers," before moving to another course.
Significant changes are also being introduced for working holiday visas. Qualification for second and third-year extensions will now be determined by a ballot system, with a cap of 45,000 for second-year visas (down from 57,000 last year) and 5,000 for third-year visas (down from 31,000). These changes will not apply to UK citizens due to a free trade agreement.
The measures come as Australia's population grew by 1.4% in the 12 months to March 2026, reaching 27.9 million, with net overseas migration accounting for 292,100 of that growth. Migration is a contentious political issue, with rising living costs and strain on public services fueling debate. Populist party One Nation has proposed cutting temporary migrant visas by 750,000 over three years and capping net overseas immigration at 130,000.
Earlier government policies included prioritizing onshore applications for family visas and skilled migrants over those lodged overseas, and a pause on working holiday visa applications from 24 countries, excluding the UK. Violet Roumeliotis of Settlement Services International suggested the migration debate is driven by short-term politics and that the proposed changes could hinder Australia's ability to attract future talent.