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Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced on Thursday a series of visa restrictions targeting international students, so-called visa hoppers and working holiday makers as the government seeks to ease pressure on housing and public services. The measures will prevent most foreign students from including partners or children on their visas, with exemptions only for those already in Australia and applicants from Pacific and Southeast Asian countries. Students will be restricted to renewing visas only if they advance to a higher qualification level, such as progressing from a bachelor’s degree to a master’s, in a direct effort to stop shifts to lower-level or questionable courses. According to a government statement, these steps form part of a broader strategy to restore integrity to the migration program.
The reforms are expected to lower annual net overseas migration from current levels to about 225,000 by 2028, a figure broadly in line with pre-pandemic averages, a Reuters assessment found. Burke rejected claims that the announcement was shaped by immediate political pressures related to voter concerns over immigration and the cost of living. “It’s simply demonstrably wrong to suspect that somehow this is a recent bit of work done to deal with a political climate – it’s not,” Burke told reporters. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show net overseas migration stood at 292,100 in the year to March 2026.
All visitor visas will now carry a “no further stay” condition that blocks holders from applying for other visa types while in the country, according to details released by the minister’s office. For the working holiday maker program, a ballot system will cap second-year extensions at 45,000, compared with 57,000 qualifiers in the previous year, while third-year places will be limited to 5,000 from a prior 31,000. The government has committed to stabilising processing times for these visas at no more than three months following complaints from business groups about delays.
The government plans to accelerate the deportation of approximately 77,000 unlawful non-citizens, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Skilled migration pathways will be adjusted to prioritise workers in healthcare, construction, education, defence, agriculture and related sectors, a government assessment found. The changes also target rogue migration agents who facilitate unfounded applications, with strengthened compliance measures to ensure those without valid visas depart.
Industry figures indicate that backpacker visas reached a record 321,000 in the 2024-25 financial year, largely from India, China and Vietnam, according to a report by The Australia Today. Student visa refusal rates climbed in early 2026 for certain nationalities, reflecting heightened scrutiny even before Thursday’s announcement, SBS News data showed. Earlier adjustments that took effect in February 2026 had already closed several onshore visa hopping routes, including from visitor or graduate visas directly to student visas.
The announcement follows weeks of internal discussions within the Labor government. Burke’s address at the National Press Club outlined the need to balance labour market demands with community expectations on migration scale. Additional integrity measures will focus on education providers and agents to prevent misuse of the student visa program.
