18/09/2026
AUSTRALIA'S NEW IMMIGRATION RULES
Australia has announced a major immigration overhaul affecting international students, families, visitors, backpackers, skilled workers, visa overstayers and migration agents. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says the changes will give the government greater control over who arrives, stays and leaves Australia.
MIGRATION TARGETS
The government aims to reduce net overseas migration from 292,100 to 245,000 in 2026–27 and then to 225,000 in 2027–28. Burke said migration must slow enough to allow housing supply to catch up without depriving essential industries of workers.
STUDENT FAMILIES
Most international students will no longer be permitted to bring partners or children as secondary applicants. Reported exceptions include PhD students and certain students from Pacific and ASEAN countries. Families already living in Australia will not be separated because of the announcement.
COURSE CHANGES
International students who want to transfer to another course will have to apply for a new visa. After completing a qualification, students will generally be allowed to continue studying only if the next course is at a higher qualification level. This is intended to stop repeated course switching used mainly to extend a person’s stay.
VISITOR VISAS
Visitor visas will generally carry a “No Further Stay” condition. This would prevent most visitors from applying for another visa while remaining in Australia. They would normally have to leave the country before pursuing another visa pathway, although limited exemptions may apply.
BACKPACKER BALLOTS
Second-year Working Holiday Maker places will be capped at 45,000, compared with around 57,000 previously. Applicants will still need to complete 88 days of eligible regional work before entering a ballot.
Third-year places will fall from approximately 31,000 to only 5,000. Applicants must complete six months of regional work before joining the ballot. Completing regional work will therefore no longer guarantee another year.
UK BACKPACKERS
British working holidaymakers will remain exempt from regional-work conditions and related caps because of the Australia–UK Free Trade Agreement. However, their applications may continue to be processed more slowly following a sharp increase in British backpackers.
SKILLED WORKERS
Visa processing will prioritise occupations needed in healthcare, construction, education, agriculture, fisheries, defence, resources and law enforcement. The skilled-migration points test may also be redesigned to give greater recognition to important construction trades.
VISA OVERSTAYERS
Australia will recruit 100 additional compliance officers and create 250 more immigration-detention beds. The government is also considering converting a former Melbourne quarantine facility into an immigration-detention centre.
MIGRATION AGENTS
Migration agents who knowingly encourage applications without genuine merit could face sanctions or deregistration. The government wants to stop advisers from using weak applications simply to prolong a client’s stay.
CHARACTER RULES
Visa character rules will be strengthened to address serious conduct involving family violence, hatred and offences targeting children.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Several measures were announced on 17 September 2026, but complete commencement dates, exemptions and transitional arrangements have not yet been published. Applicants should check the rules officially in force before changing their plans or lodging an application.
Source: ABC News, Reuters, The Guardian, and Umer Rasib
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