Australia has tightened its migration rules, including restrictions on international students bringing family members, as the government seeks to reduce net overseas migration to 225,000 by 2028.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced the measures at the National Press Club on Thursday, saying the government needed greater control over who enters Australia, who remains and who leaves.
The changes target temporary migrants, international students, working holidaymakers and visa overstayers.
Students face family and visa rules
Under the new rules, international students and graduate visa holders will generally no longer be able to bring family members to Australia.
However, exemptions will apply to nationals of Pacific and ASEAN countries and students undertaking certain courses, including PhDs. Families already in Australia will not be separated under the changes.
The government will also tighten rules on student visa progression to prevent repeated movement between education providers and qualifications when the underlying purpose is migration rather than study.
Students will still be able to extend their visas for legitimate reasons and transfer between courses, but they will generally have to progress upwards through the qualification system.
Burke said the government wanted international education to deliver an education outcome rather than become a pathway through successive visas.
Student visa planning levels will remain unchanged, meaning the number of applications the government expects to process will not be reduced.
The government has already increased scrutiny of applicants’ financial capacity, particularly from countries where refusal rates have risen. The aim is to ensure students can genuinely afford their studies rather than rely on employment in Australia to finance their education and pursue a migration outcome.
Migration target
The government plans to reduce net overseas migration to 225,000 by 2028, from around 300,000.
Australia’s net overseas migration reached 518,000 in 2023 before falling to 429,000 in 2024 and 306,000 in the year to 30 June 2025, according to official data.
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show net overseas migration fell further to 292,100 in the year to 30 June 2026.
Migration surged after Australia reopened its borders in February 2022 following nearly two years of Covid-19 restrictions. International students, temporary skilled workers and backpackers have been major contributors to the increase.
International students accounted for more than half of net overseas migration in the year to June 2025.
Skilled migration priorities change
The government will also change the skilled migration points test, giving construction and housing-related skills an uplift equivalent to the points currently associated with university qualifications.
Processing priorities will be increased for construction, agriculture, fisheries, resources and teaching.
The changes are intended to give greater weight to Australia’s labour needs, housing pressures and infrastructure requirements.
Working holiday visas
The Working Holiday Maker programme will also be overhauled.
Second- and third-year visas will move to a ballot system, with 45,000 places available for second-year visas and 5,000 for third-year visas.
Regional work requirements will remain in place, including the requirement to complete 88 days of specified work for a second-year visa and six months of regional work for a third-year visa.
Crackdown on overstayers and visa hopping
The government will deploy 100 additional compliance officers and provide 250 additional detention beds as it steps up action against visa overstayers.
It will also tighten rules designed to prevent temporary migrants from repeatedly switching visas or extending their stay in Australia.
The government plans to expand a “No Further Stay” condition to visitor visas and strengthen measures to ensure people leave Australia when their visas expire.
Other proposed reforms, including an expression-of-interest system for student visas and changes to the treatment of non-genuine protection claims, will depend on legislation.
Political pressure over migration
The measures come amid growing political pressure over Australia’s migration levels.
The One Nation party this week proposed cutting the temporary migrant population by 750,000 over three years, saying the move would give Australians “breathing space”. It has also proposed eventually capping net overseas migration at 130,000 a year, subject to annual review.
One Nation promotes an “Australia first” agenda and has drawn comparisons with US President Donald Trump’s policies.
Critics of Australia’s high migration levels have linked the influx to pressure on housing, infrastructure and social cohesion, while the government says migration remains important to meeting labour shortages and supporting economic activity.
Burke said international education remained an important export and supported employment beyond universities and education providers.
Sector response
Phil Honeywood, chief executive officer of the International Education Association of Australia, described the announcement as a “mixed bag” for the sector.
He noted that there would be no changes to eligibility for the post-study work rights 485 visa. He also said the government had stopped short of requiring transferring students to leave Australia and apply for a new visa, although the concept of a new transfer visa remained to be tested.
Honeywood said restricting accompanying family members, except for PhD and sponsored students, would turn away students from some key source markets.
He said the sector hoped the government’s focus on genuine students would result in an enhanced level of visa approvals.
