Australia Tightens Visa Rules to Curb Migrant 'Hopping'
New measures aim to prevent temporary visa holders from continuously extending their stay in the country through a cycle of visa applications.
The Australian government is implementing stricter regulations designed to curb what it calls "visa hopping," a practice where individuals repeatedly apply for different temporary visas to remain in the country long-term.
Effective Friday, many international students and recent graduates will face new limitations on bringing dependents, such as partners or children, into Australia. Exemptions will apply to PhD students, scholarship recipients funded by foreign or Australian governments, and individuals from ASEAN or Pacific nations. However, these exempt individuals will only be permitted to add dependants to their visa applications after the visa has been granted.
Furthermore, international students seeking to change their university courses will be required to pay approximately $1,200 for a new visa. Under previous rules, students could switch courses after six months of study. The new reforms temporarily extend this period to 12 months, with the new visa requirement anticipated to take effect in July of the following year.
Temporary migrants already in Australia on visas such as working holidaymaker or temporary employer visas will be prevented from applying for student visas. These changes are part of a broader set of measures introduced by Immigration Minister Tony Burke.
Assistant Minister for International Education Julian Hill stated that the new rules are intended to stop "visa hopping" and prevent the abuse of Australia's migration system. "One of the biggest problems has been the growth in permanently temporary migrants," Hill said during an address in Sydney. "People who hop from visa to visa, who may have spent most of their adult lives here, with kids who are now Australian, but who will never make the cut for skilled migration or who wait for years on bridging visas for a permanent visa."
Hill also addressed migration agents and lawyers, warning them against subverting the migration system by filing meritless visa claims. He specifically called out online advertisements that allegedly guide individuals on how to falsely claim asylum based on sexual orientation or persecution. "That's not legal representation. It's a misuse of the migration system for profit," he asserted.
In the year leading up to June, nearly 688,000 international students studied in Australia, with China, India, Nepal, Vietnam, and Bangladesh being the primary countries of origin. Data from the Department of Home Affairs indicates a significant increase in student visa rejections, rising to 35 percent from 23 percent in the previous year.
The Albanese government aims to reduce net overseas migration from its current rate of nearly 300,000 annually to a target of 225,000 by 2028. The reforms also include tightening parameters for the skilled migration program, prioritizing individuals in sectors such as healthcare, construction, teaching, resources, agriculture, aquaculture, and fishing.