Australia has announced a major migration overhaul affecting international students, backpackers, and some visitors as the government moves to reduce net overseas migration and tighten access to temporary visas. The government aims to bring net overseas migration down to 225,000 by 2028 while maintaining access for students, skilled workers, and travelers important to the economy.
Under the new measures, most international students will no longer be able to add family members to their visas, although exemptions will remain for some groups, including PhD candidates and eligible students from parts of the Pacific and Southeast Asia.
The government is introducing new limits for second and third-year Working Holiday visas, directly affecting travelers who rely on temporary work to extend their stays in Australia. They plan to cap second-year places at 45,000 and introduce a ballot for just 5,000 third-year places.
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International students who want to bring partners or other family members to Australia will be affected by the changes. Families already legally in Australia under existing arrangements will not be separated by the new rules. The government is also tightening rules around students changing courses after arriving in Australia, requiring students to progress through genuine study pathways rather than moving repeatedly between courses.
The overhaul will also affect backpackers seeking second and third Working Holiday visas. UK citizens will continue to benefit from separate arrangements under the Australia–UK free trade agreement. Australia also intends to expand the use of the No Further Stay condition on visitor visas, making it harder for travelers to enter the country as tourists and then switch to another visa category while remaining in Australia.
The changes are one of the most significant changes to Australia’s temporary migration system in years and could affect students, backpackers, and long-stay visitors planning travel in 2027 and beyond.