Australia plans tighter student and backpacker visa rules

Australia plans to prevent most international students from bringing their partners and children while studying and tighten working holiday visa rules, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced on September 17, 2026.

The measures are intended to bring annual net overseas migration down to about 225,000 by 2028, from roughly 300,000, returning it broadly to pre-pandemic levels.

Student visas to restrict dependants and further study

Most student visas would no longer allow secondary applicants, meaning students could not include accompanying partners and children. Exceptions would allow some students from Pacific island nations and Southeast Asia to bring their families.

International students would be permitted to renew their student visas only when progressing to a higher qualification.

Under current arrangements, students’ spouses and partners can work in Australia, although their permitted working hours depend on the course the student is taking.

Backpackers face ballots for visa extensions

Australia would introduce a ballot system for backpackers applying to extend their working holiday visas.

All visitor visas would carry a “no further stay” condition, preventing holders from remaining in Australia while applying for another visa category, such as a partner visa.

Burke also outlined stronger enforcement against visa overstayers, including recruiting 100 additional compliance officers. The government is examining whether a former pandemic quarantine facility in Melbourne could accommodate immigration detainees.

Education sector warns of damage to confidence

International education contributed A$53.6 billion, equivalent to approximately US$38 billion, to Australia’s economy in the year to June 2025, making it the country’s fourth-largest export.

Despite the sector’s economic importance, international students have been a central focus of the centre-left Labor government’s efforts to reduce migration.

Student visa application fees have increased by nearly 300% over four years to A$2,500. Tighter English-language requirements and minimum savings thresholds for graduate visa applicants are also reported.

Luke Sheehy, chief executive of Universities Australia, warned that the proposed changes were weakening confidence in the sector.

“It is chipping away the confidence in what has been a great national asset for this country – international education,” Sheehy told ABC radio.

Burke rejects political motive for migration changes

The government’s announcement followed a proposal by the hard-right One Nation party to reduce the number of temporary migrants by 750,000 over three years, giving Australians what the party described as “breathing space”.

One Nation has gained support in recent opinion polls. Its “Australia first” approach has drawn comparisons with the policies of US President Donald Trump.

Burke dismissed suggestions that the government’s measures were driven by One Nation’s growing popularity, rejecting the idea that the reforms had recently been developed in response to the political climate.

Living costs and immigration have consistently ranked among Australian voters’ leading concerns in opinion polls.

Migration increased sharply after Australia reopened its borders in February 2022 following almost two years of pandemic closures. International students, backpackers and temporary workers accounted for much of the increase, although migration numbers have fallen over the past two years.

Net overseas migration was reported at 306,000 in the year ending June 30, 2025, with international students accounting for more than half, compared with 518,000 in 2023.