The Australian government is set to impose stricter limits on the ability of international students to bring family members to the country, as part of broader changes aimed at reducing net overseas migration (Nom). Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke is scheduled to unveil the reforms on Thursday, marking a significant shift in how the country manages immigration flows.
Burke’s planned address to the National Press Club in Canberra, titled "The work of managing the migration program: Who arrives, who stays, who leaves," will detail proposals intended to bring migration numbers under tighter control. The changes follow months of internal debate within the federal cabinet about the direction and scale of immigration policy adjustments.
The government intends to move visa category rules away from purely demand-driven settings, granting itself greater authority to regulate who enters and remains in Australia. This includes measures aimed at reducing visa overstaying and curbing lengthy appeal processes that have delayed decision-making for some applicants. Labor also plans to use legislation to enforce these measures but may resort to administrative regulations if parliamentary agreement proves elusive.
Burke has emphasized the need to lower Nom while balancing economic considerations. "We do need to get net overseas migration down," he said, adding the government will seek to do so in a "sensible, targeted way" that supports the Australian economy.
Under the proposed changes, most international students would be required to arrive alone, with tighter restrictions on dependents and family members accompanying the primary visa holders. Last year, Australia granted more than 337,000 student visas, including approximately 45,000 for family members. The government hopes these new limits will help reduce the overall annual migrant intake from about 305,000 to close to 225,000 within two years.
Nom measures the net gain or loss of people staying in Australia for more than 12 months and includes Australian citizens returning after time abroad. The figure has declined over seven consecutive quarters since September 2023 and is expected to fall below pre-pandemic levels by 2027-28. Despite this, temporary visa arrivals remain relatively high, with over 568,000 recorded in the 2024-25 financial year.
Additional efforts are anticipated to accelerate the departure of those overstaying visas or those in the country awaiting visa decisions or legal reviews. According to data from the Department of Home Affairs, as of July, nearly 111,000 individuals without protection visas remained in Australia, many on bridging visas or involved in ongoing judicial or administrative processes.
The government’s move comes amid heightened public concern over immigration levels and a surge in support for the One Nation party, which has campaigned for a substantial reduction in temporary migrants, proposing cuts of more than 750,000 over three years by targeting international students and family members of skilled migrants. These proposals have been widely criticized by business groups, universities, and both major political parties, which argue that such reductions could harm essential services and the broader economy.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently sought support from the opposition leader Angus Taylor for legislative reforms but failed to reach an agreement ahead of his trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Independent senator David Pocock called for a more considered approach to immigration policy focused on long-term planning rather than headline numbers. He urged a national dialogue on skills needs and the broader social and environmental impacts of migration.
Similarly, Andrew McKellar, chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, warned against reducing migration numbers prematurely, citing urgent needs to address skill shortages and housing challenges. He stated, "We do not have a migration problem in Australia; we have a housing crisis and skill shortages. Those are the problems we need to fix."