New Delhi, Sept. 23 -- Australia is tightening its migration rules, with international students and graduate visa holders set to lose the option of bringing family members into the country, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced on September 17.
The move, which could have a direct bearing on Indian students and families, is part of a wider overhaul aimed at curbing migration and stopping what the government describes as "visa-hopping". The reforms also include tighter rules for students switching visas, a new processing order for some skilled visas, a ballot system for extending working holiday visas and a ban on visitors extending their stay. Burke did not announce when the new rules would take effect.
India is likely to be closely affected by the changes. Indians were among the top five migrant-arrival groups in Australia in 2024-25, including international students, while the Indian community is the country's second-largest migrant population, accounting for 3.4 per cent of Australia's total population. Under the new family rule, international students and graduate visa holders will no longer be able to attach family members to their visas. Those already in Australia will be exempt, with Burke saying the government would not "break up" families already in the country. Students from Pacific and ASEAN nations will also be exempt, as will those enrolled in certain courses, including PhDs.
The changes are part of a broader attempt to bring net overseas migration (NOM) down to 245,000 this financial year and 225,000 in 2027-28. Official figures released on the day of Burke's announcement put NOM at 292,100.
Burke identified two key problems behind the reforms. The first was Australia's "demand-driven programme", under which employers could recruit workers they needed and educational institutions could enrol international students, with the expectation that housing and infrastructure would adjust accordingly.
"That pure demand-driven approach to major parts of the immigration system is not what Australians want," Burke said, adding that the government needed greater control over the system. The second issue was "visa-hopping", people moving repeatedly from one visa category to another to remain in Australia. Burke, however, said not every visa transition was a problem. A student who trains in a skills-shortage area, moves to a graduate visa, secures sponsored employment and eventually qualifies for permanent residency represents "the system working at its absolute best", he said.
The government is instead targeting cases where people who do not qualify for permanent residency keep shifting between visas and using appeals processes to extend their stay.
Students will also face tighter restrictions on changing courses or institutions. They will generally be allowed to move only upwards on the qualification ladder, such as progressing from a bachelor's degree to a Master's. Repeatedly moving between institutions or qualifications, particularly where the government believes the primary objective is migration rather than education, will no longer be allowed.
At the same time, Burke warned against excessive cuts to international education, which he described as "an incredibly important export". Jobs ranging from teaching to cleaning in Australian cities, he said, depend on the sector. "Drastic cuts, wherever you make them, hurt the economy in every part," he said.
Burke also rejected the argument that immigration itself was responsible for Australia's housing shortage. While saying that "the housing shortage we have is not caused by immigration", he said migration policy must nevertheless be "part of the solution for the housing crisis".
The reforms, therefore, seek to reduce migration without abandoning international education but with tighter controls on the routes through which students and temporary visa holders can bring families and extend their stay in Australia.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.