Australia · updated 1h ago · 3 min read
Tony Burke Tightens Australia Student And Working-Holiday Visa Rules, Limits Dependants
Australia tightens visa rules for international students and working-holiday entrants Most student dependants barred from accompanying international students
Working holiday visa ballot described with different caps/changes detail.
7 of 9 outlets skipped it: visitor visas get a no-further-stay condition.
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TRT World
“Burke rejected suggestions the reforms were driven by One Nation, saying the government had been working on the changes well before”Read the original ↗
The Guardian
“The announcement has received praise from business and industry groups and criticism from the government’s political opponents”Read the original ↗
One outlet focuses on disputed party influence; another foregrounds broader reaction.
Burke’s visa crackdown
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced new immigration measures on Thursday aimed at temporary visa holders, including international students and working-holiday makers, as the government seeks greater control over migration.
“Tony Burke on Thursday announced new immigration measures targeting temporary visa holders”
In a speech titled “The Work of Managing the Migration Program: Who Arrives, Who Stays, Who Leaves”, Burke said the reforms target international students, working-holiday makers and people who use successive visa pathways to extend their stay in Australia.
The changes are intended to help meet net overseas migration targets of 245,000 in 2026-27 and 225,000 from 2027-28, while the BBC said the government aims to bring net overseas migration to 225,000 by 2028.
Under the new arrangements, most international students will no longer be able to automatically bring family members to Australia, with exceptions for students from Pacific and ASEAN countries and certain courses including PhD programmes, according to The Indian Express and the BBC.
Working holiday visas will also be tightened with a ballot system, with the second-year ballot having 45,000 places compared with about 57,000 who qualified last year, and the third-year ballot having only 5,000 places compared with about 31,000 who qualified last year, the BBC said.
Students face family split
International students described the reforms as forcing an “agonising choice” between study and family, with Pakistani student Ali Chatha saying, “The biggest issue will be leaving a child or your partner behind.”
Chatha, who is two years into an undergraduate science degree at the University of Melbourne, said, “In the end, you’re going to choose your family over your career and opportunities.”
The SMH.au reported that the federal government plans to curb net migration from about 300,000 to 225,000 next year using measures that include targeting visa hopping and reducing the influx of family members.
University of Sydney vice-chancellor Mark Scott warned that “All migration is not the same – international students attend the University of Sydney for a defined period,” while Universities Australia CEO Luke Sheehy said, “Who is going to pay the bill? Who is going to pay the gap in funding for universities?”
The SMH.au also reported that Myanmar national Cho Shwe moved to Australia this year to study a master’s of environmental science and said, “Moving here for study, it is really challenging to not have family members here. You emotionally rely on them.”
Sector stakes and enforcement
The PIE News said Home Affairs minister Tony Burke announced the measures on September 17 as part of a wider package designed to reduce net overseas migration and give the government greater control over who arrives, stays in and leaves Australia.
““The government supports immigration but is opposed to anyone rorting the immigration system,””
Burke said, “The government supports immigration but is opposed to anyone rorting the immigration system,” while Phil Honeywood, chief executive of the International Education Association of Australia, warned, “We will definitely lose talented young people as a result of today’s announcement.”
The Guardian reported that Burke promised to bring down net overseas migration (Nom) to 245,000 this financial year and 225,000 in 2027-28, and it said the Australian Bureau of Statistics confirmed Nom had eased to 292,000 in the year to March.T
The Guardian also reported that Burke said the government would implement new compliance measures to ensure people without valid visas left the country, including plans to repurpose a former quarantine facility in Melbourne as a detention centre and to bring on an additional 100 compliance officers.T
In the same package, the BBC said working holiday visas for those aged 18 to 30 years old would be subject to ballot caps of 45,000 for the second year and 5,000 for the third year, and it reported that British working holidaymakers would not be affected due to the UK free trade agreement with Australia.