Australia cuts migration target to 225,000: 7 visa changes you need to know

Tony Burke's 2026 migration changes explained: students lose family visas, working holiday cut 84%

 

Australia is tightening its migration settings as the government seeks to bring net overseas migration (NOM) down to 245,000 in 2026-27 and 225,000 in 2027-28.

 

The changes announced in September 2026 target several temporary visa categories, including international students, working holiday makers and visitors, while also changing how skilled migrants are prioritised.

 

Australia's latest NOM figure was 292,100 for the year to March 2026, down 5.6% from the previous year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The figure is already below the post-pandemic peak, but remains above the government's new target.

 

The migration package announced on September 17 is the largest single set of changes to Australia’s temporary visa settings this year, and it is aimed squarely at one thing: the number of people arriving on a temporary visa and then staying.

 

 “If you want to come on a temporary basis to Australia, apply for a temporary visa. If you want to come to Australia permanently, apply for a permanent visa," said Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.

 

What has Australia changed?

 

The government's package covers five broad areas:

 

• skilled migration and processing priorities
• independent skilled migration and the points test
• student and Temporary Graduate visas
• Working Holiday Maker visas
• visitor visas and overstayers

 

The Department of Home Affairs said in a release that the measures are designed to deliver the government's NOM forecasts while strengthening visa compliance.

 

1. International students will generally no longer be able to bring family members

 

One of the biggest changes is for people applying for Student visas (subclass 500) and Temporary Graduate visas (subclass 485).

 

Under the announced changes, new applicants generally will not be able to attach family members to these visas.

 

There will be exceptions for nationals of ASEAN and Pacific countries, as well as certain courses, including PhD programs. The government has also said families that are already in Australia will not be broken up as a result of the change.

 

Example

 

Suppose an Indian student plans to start a master's degree in Australia in 2027 and wants to take a spouse and child along as dependants.

 

Under the new settings, the student would generally not be able to attach the spouse and child to the student visa, unless the application falls within an applicable exception.

 

This is a significant change in planning terms.

 

Previously, an international student could structure the move around the entire family travelling together. Under the new rules, a prospective student may need to consider whether the principal applicant travels alone, whether an alternative visa pathway exists for family members, and whether the course falls within an exception.

 

2. Students cannot simply move to a lower-level course to extend their stay

 

Australia is also targeting what it describes as "visa hopping".

 

An existing Student visa holder will generally only be able to obtain another Student visa onshore if they move to a higher-level qualification.

 

For example, a student completing a bachelor's degree could progress to a master's degree. But moving from a higher-level qualification to a lower-level course would generally not provide the same route to another Student visa.

 

The change is intended to prevent people from using successive courses to prolong their stay rather than pursuing genuine educational progression.

 

ABC reported that the government is targeting situations where students transfer to less demanding or lower-level courses primarily to extend their stay.

 

Migration lawyer Gary Grewal, writing for Grewal Migration, described the change as part of a broader shift towards requiring people to use temporary visas for genuinely temporary purposes rather than repeatedly extending their stay through successive visa applications.

 

3. Skilled workers: more priority for construction and other sectors

 

The changes are not simply about restricting migration.

 

Australia is also redirecting skilled migration towards occupations it considers economically important.

 

The Department of Home Affairs said updated processing priorities will cover healthcare, construction, education, law enforcement and defence, as well as resources, agriculture, aquaculture and fishing.

 

Example

 

Suppose an Indian engineer or skilled tradesperson is applying for an employer-sponsored visa and works in a sector included in the government's priority processing arrangements.

 

The application may receive priority over an otherwise comparable application outside those priority sectors, depending on the visa subclass and applicable ministerial direction.

 

Importantly, priority processing does not mean automatic visa approval.

 

The applicant still has to satisfy the relevant eligibility requirements.

 

Migration-law firm Fragomen said the revised skilled processing direction expands priority occupations into resources, agriculture, aquaculture and fishing while retaining existing priorities including healthcare, construction and education.

 

4. Australia's skilled points test is also changing

 

The government is planning to revise the points test for independent skilled migration.

 

The 2026-27 federal Budget said the reform will seek to select better educated, higher-skilled and younger migrants overall, while targeting skills that contribute to Australia's productivity and long-term prosperity.

 

Construction is also specifically being brought into the policy discussion because of Australia's housing shortage.

 

This could change the relative attractiveness of different profiles under points-tested skilled visas.

 

For example, two applicants may currently have similar points but different education, age and occupational profiles. Under the revised system, the weighting of those characteristics may change.

 

5. Working Holiday visas: second and third years become a lottery

 

Applicants seeking a second or third Working Holiday visa will have to enter a ballot if they meet the qualifying requirements.

 

The government will limit the second-year ballot to 45,000 places and the third-year ballot to 5,000 places.

 

Regional work requirements will remain.

 

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said applicants seeking a second year would still need to complete 88 days of regional work, while the third year would still require six months of regional work.

 

The scale of the reduction is substantial.

 

Burke said about 57,000 people qualified for a second-year visa last year, compared with the future 45,000-place limit. For third-year visas, about 31,000 people qualified last year, against the new 5,000-place ballot.

 

6. Visitor visa holders face a new "No Further Stay" condition

 

Australia is also changing the rules for Visitor visa (subclass 600) holders.

 

The government said a No Further Stay condition will be applied to all new Visitor visa approvals.

 

The aim is to ensure visitor visas are used for genuine temporary visits rather than becoming a pathway to extend a person's stay in Australia.

 

A traveller who wants to apply for another visa while in Australia would therefore generally need a waiver based on exceptional circumstances.

 

7. Australia is increasing action against overstayers

 

The government is also strengthening compliance and enforcement against people whose visas have expired.

 

The Department of Home Affairs said the reforms will include measures to ensure people without valid visas leave Australia. The government has framed this as part of a broader strategy of controlling who arrives, who stays and who leaves. ABC reported that the government is relying heavily on regulatory changes to achieve its migration target rather than waiting for new legislation.

 

What about migration agents?

 

The government also plans to strengthen action against migration agents who knowingly support applications without merit.

 

The Department of Home Affairs said rogue migration agents who knowingly support applications without merit could be banned.

 

Why is Australia making these changes?

 

The central numerical target is clear.

 

The 2026-27 federal Budget projects NOM at 245,000 in 2026-27, falling to 225,000 in 2027-28, with the latter level maintained in subsequent years in the Budget projections.

 

The latest ABS figure — 292,100 in the year to March 2026 — is already substantially below the post-pandemic peak but remains above the government's target.

 

Temporary visa holders are a major component of NOM. Fragomen estimated that temporary visa holders, including international students and working holiday makers, account for around two-thirds of NOM.

 

What experts are saying

 

"The government is also expected to update processing directions for cases involving character concerns, strengthen compliance and enforcement measures relating to visa overstayers, and introduce measures allowing migration agents who knowingly support applications without merit to be banned. Although the immigration authorities did not confirm when the reforms would take effect, the measures are not expected to require parliamentary approval and may therefore be implemented in the coming days. Employers, foreign nationals and other affected applicants should monitor further government announcements and assess how the changes may affect planned or pending applications," said Fragomen.  

 

Rise Migration Lawyers said the September 17 package was announced but that detailed instruments and transitional arrangements would determine when individual measures take effect.

 

Rise Migration Lawyers explains what the new package  means if you are in Australia now: 

 

• If your family is already in Australia on a student dependant visa — the announcement says existing families are not affected.
• If you were planning to bring family on a student visa — check whether you fall inside the Pacific, ASEAN or PhD exceptions before making any commitment.
• If you are working toward a third year Working Holiday visa — a ballot for 5,000 places cannot be planned around. It is worth looking now at whether another visa fits.
• If you are a student thinking about changing courses — get advice before you enrol, not after.
• If you have family planning to visit — understand that a future visitor visa is likely to carry No Further Stay, and plan any onshore application accordingly.