Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has unveiled changes to skilled worker and student visas which will affect secondary visa holders and those who are ‘visa hopping’, according to announcements made today.
Speaking to the National Press Club in Canberra, Burke noted the ‘demand driven approach’ of Howard and Hawke era governments was no longer effective, aiming to bring down net overseas migration (NOM) to 245,000 this financial year, and 225,000 in 2027-28.
Acknowledging the ‘extraordinary strength’ of migration, Burke made the case for ‘targeted’ changes to Australia’s migration policy which ‘take account of the economic cost’.
“Drastic cuts, wherever you make them, hurt the economy in every part,” noted Burke. student visa changes
Burke also rubbished mass migration claims and the ‘endless refrain that the government is bringing in yoga teachers and not construction workers’, saying migration could unlock solutions to the housing problem.
Earlier this week, One Nation vowed to cut the number of temporary migrants in Australia by more than 750,000 over three years, with international students and family members of skilled migrants under fire. migration plan
Describing his reforms as ‘not as comprehensive as he’d like them to be’, Burke rejected the notion this announcement has come in response to that of One Nation.
“It’s simply demonstrably wrong to [suggest] that somehow this is a recent bit of work done to deal with a political climate. It’s not,” said Burke. student visa changes
Student visa changes proposed
Changes to the skilled migration points test will prioritise those with certain skills, including healthcare, education and housing and construction workers. This follows changes to skilled visa processing and prioritisation earlier this year.
Student and graduate visas will also be affected, with partners and family members no longer allowed to join students overseas under secondary visas. Pacific and ASEAN nations, and PhD Candidates are excluded from this change.
“Anyone who already has their family attached to a visa and is already here, we’re not gonna be breaking up families onshore,” he says.
“But we will no longer be adding to the stock of students automatically being able to bring family members over.”
Those on student visas will also only be allowed to enrol in subsequent courses ‘up the qualification scale’, or greater than the qualification which they have completed, to combat ‘visa hopping’.
“One of the classic areas of visa-hopping is people finish a course, hop to the next course, hop to the next. And one of the worst examples is they transfer down to a not-so-legitimate educational provider,” he says.
Migration agents will also face greater consequences for using sham universities to ‘abuse the system’.
However, Burke stressed he was ‘not about to undermine’ free trade agreement conditions which grant Indian graduates extended stays in Australia under the 485 visa. student visa changes
Earlier in the day, peak bodies, including the Federation of Ethnic Communities Australia (FECCA) and Universities Australia warned any cuts to migration could lead to the loss of “world-class asset[s] for Australia” in skilled migrants and international students.
“Australia competes internationally for the best students, researchers and skilled professionals. We want people to see Australia as a great place to study, build a career and contribute their knowledge. Policies that force people to choose between their families and Australia will send that talent elsewhere,” says Prerana Mehta, CEO of FECCA.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics also released new figures for net migration, with 568,400 migrants arriving and 262,800 leaving Australia in the 2024/25 financial year – significantly lower than the peak of 2023. The biggest influx came from those on higher education visas, followed by working holiday visas.
More to follow in the coming days. student visa changes
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