Australia has unveiled a broad set of immigration reforms aimed at reducing the number of people entering and remaining in the country, with measures targeting international students, working holiday visa holders, and those attempting to extend their stays through repeated visa applications. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke outlined the changes in a speech at the National Press Club titled "The work of managing the migration program: who arrives, who stays, who leaves," framing immigration as a national strength that nonetheless requires "a high level of control."

Under the new rules, most international students will no longer be permitted to bring family members with them to Australia. Exceptions will apply for students already in the country, PhD candidates, and applicants from Pacific and South-East Asian nations. The government will also crack down on so-called "visa hopping" — a practice where students complete one course and then enrol in a lower-level qualification, sometimes through dubious providers, in order to prolong their stay. Students will still be allowed to progress upward, for example from a bachelor's degree to a master's, but downgrading to a lesser qualification will no longer be permitted. Separately, visitor visas will carry a "no further stay" condition to prevent holders from transitioning onto bridging visas.

Working holiday visas, widely used by backpackers and considered an important source of labour for Australia's agricultural sector, will also face significant restrictions. Currently, holders aged 18 to 30 can extend their stay for a second and third year by completing regional work. Under the new system, those qualifying for a second year will enter a ballot capped at 45,000 places — down from 57,000 last year — while the third-year ballot will be limited to just 5,000, compared with 31,000 who qualified previously. British nationals are exempt from these changes under the terms of a free trade agreement between the United Kingdom and Australia.

The reforms also include 100 additional compliance officers, 250 extra detention beds, and a tougher stance on overstayers, along with a crackdown on "rogue" migration agents. The government said it aims to bring net overseas migration down to 225,000 by 2027–28, from the 292,100 recorded in the twelve months to March 2026 — itself slightly below budget forecasts. Skilled migration will be redirected toward priority sectors including healthcare, construction, education, defence, and agriculture.

The announcement has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum. The far-right populist One Nation party, which has seen a rise in support and recently won its first lower house seat, has called for far deeper cuts, including capping net overseas migration at 130,000. Burke dismissed such proposals as economically reckless, warning they would risk "smashing parts of the Australian economy." Advocates for migrants have raised different concerns: Violet Roumeliotis of Settlement Services International, which assists new arrivals, argued the debate was being driven by "short-term politics rather than what is best for the country," and warned that restricting family visas for students could undermine Australia's ability to attract top global talent. Housing affordability, rising living costs, and pressure on public services have made immigration a central political issue as Australia's population reaches 27.9 million.