Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke unveiled a comprehensive immigration policy overhaul on Thursday designed to reduce overall migration levels and exercise greater control over visa categories. The measures reflect the government’s stated goal of bringing net overseas migration down to 225,000 people by 2028, down from the 292,100 recorded in the 12 months ending in March 2026.
International students will face significant restrictions under the new framework. Foreign students will no longer be permitted to bring family members with them, though exemptions will apply to those already in Australia and applicants from Pacific and Southeast Asian nations. PhD students will retain the ability to sponsor family members due to their different life circumstances. The government will also crack down on “visa hopping,” the practice where students complete one qualification and immediately enroll in a lower-level program, sometimes with less reputable providers. Students seeking to advance their qualifications—such as pursuing a master’s degree after completing a bachelor’s—will continue to be allowed to do so.
Working holiday visas, which primarily serve backpackers and provide critical labor for Australia’s agricultural sector, will undergo substantial changes. The ballot system for second-year extensions will be capped at 45,000 participants, down from 57,000 who qualified in the previous year. Third-year extensions will be limited to 5,000, a significant reduction from the 31,000 who qualified previously. British working holidaymakers will not be affected by these restrictions due to Australia’s free trade agreement with the United Kingdom.
The policy announcements come amid broader political debate surrounding immigration in Australia. Population growth reached 1.4% in the 12 months to March 2026, bringing the total population to 27.9 million. Migration has emerged as a contentious issue amid concerns about rising living costs, housing affordability, and strain on public services. The right-wing One Nation party, which won its first lower house seat in May and has recently gained political momentum, has proposed cutting temporary migrant visas by 750,000 over three years and capping net overseas immigration at 130,000—proposals Burke criticized as economically harmful.
Advocates for new arrivals have expressed concern about the direction of policy. Settlement Services International representatives noted that short-term political considerations appear to be driving migration decisions rather than long-term national interests, warning that restrictions on family sponsorship could harm Australia’s ability to attract global talent.
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