On 17 September, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke used an address to the National Press Club to announce a broad-ranging package of proposed changes aiming to curb Australia's Net Overseas Migration. The measures span Working Holiday visas, international students and graduates, Visitor visas, skilled migration and immigration enforcement.

These changes are not yet law. The new rules will come later through changes to the Migration Regulations, Ministerial Directions and Departmental policy. Until then, the current rules still apply. Many important details, including start dates and who exactly will be affected, are still unknown

The package is aimed at continuing to reduce Net Overseas Migration (NOM), which sat at 292,100 for the year to March 2026. The government has set NOM targets of 245,000 for 2026-27 and 225,000 a year from 2027-28, and these reforms are directed at meeting them. The Minister described the changes as not going as far as he would like – bigger structural changes to the system would require passing new legislation with the support of other parties – so further measures are likely to follow.

Key announcements

1. Family of international students and graduates

Most future international students and graduates will no longer be able to bring partners and children as secondary applicants. This will not affect families already in Australia. Exceptions remain for PhD (postgraduate) students and for students from Pacific and ASEAN countries.

2. Student 'visa hopping'

The government wants to stop students from repeatedly enrolling in courses at the same or a lower level just to extend their stay. Genuine students will still be able to apply for new visas to progress upward – for example, from a Bachelor's to a Master's. Transferring down to a lower-tier provider will require a fresh visa application, which is already the position under existing policy and Condition 8202.

Importantly, the normal path from a Student visa to a Graduate visa and then into skilled work or permanent residence remains a legitimate pathway.

3. 'No Further Stay' for Visitor visas

This is potentially one of the biggest changes. The Government intends to attach a ‘No Further Stay’ condition to all future Visitor visa grants. Visitor visas already granted and those already in Australia holding a visitor visa will not be affected.

A No Further Stay condition (Condition 8503) can stop someone from applying for another visa onshore. Currently, a genuine visitor whose circumstances change – for example, a new relationship or a job offer – can sometimes apply for another visa, such as a Partner or skilled visa, while in Australia. A broader application of this condition could close off those options, leaving protection visas as the only visa that can be applied for onshore.

There is an important qualification: Waivers of Condition 8503 already exist in limited situations, including for certain skilled visas (such as the Subclass 482, 186 and 494) and where genuinely compelling or compassionate circumstances arise after the visa was granted. How the change interacts with existing waivers will only become clear once the regulations are released.

There may also be an upside for some families. Because a 'No Further Stay' condition guarantees the visitor will leave when the visa expires, the Department can grant visitor visas with greater confidence that they are genuinely temporary. This may make it easier for offshore partners - for example, those who have lodged a Partner (Subclass 309/100) application - to obtain visitor visas, potentially for longer periods, to spend time with their partner in Australia while their application is processed.

4. Working Holiday visas

Second- and third-year Working Holiday visas will be allocated by ballot and cut back sharply. Second-year places drop to around 45,000 (down from about 57,000 this year). Third-year places fall to roughly 5,000 (down from about 31,000). The existing regional work requirements still apply: 88 days for a second year, six months for a third.

Processing for those who have already met the regional requirement will return to normal pace. UK applicants are the exception: because they are not required to do regional work under Australia's free trade agreement with the UK, their processing will remain slower, to manage a cohort that has grown from about 17,000 before COVID to around 80,000 onshore now.

Points test. Changes will be made to the points system, giving more weight to housing and construction trade qualifications. Trades in high-demand areas will score points broadly comparable to a university qualification. This is a meaningful shift: it lifts the standing of trade-qualified applicants within points-tested skilled migration, rather than only affecting how quickly applications are processed.

Processing priority. Agriculture and resources/fisheries will be added as priority areas under Ministerial Direction 119. The Minister also referred to construction and teaching as additions, but these already sit within MD 119 alongside healthcare. Further details are still being clarified

6. Tougher enforcement

The Minister also announced increased enforcement directed at people who no longer hold a valid visa. The Government proposes to add approximately 100 compliance officers and additional short-term detention capacity, including approximately 250 beds near major departure points. The Minister indicated that the aim is to return to a system in which people without a lawful basis to remain are expected to arrange their departure rather than remain in Australia indefinitely.

What happens next

Today’s announcement sets the direction for future reforms, but the detail will determine its real impact. We recommend that visa holders and employers avoid making decisions based on headlines alone. Those considering an onshore visa strategy should wait for the detailed rules and have their individual circumstances assessed.

Abacus Visa will continue to monitor the situation and provide further updates as the legislation, regulations and Departmental guidance become available.

This newsletter is a general summary for information only and is not legal advice. The announced reforms remain subject to detailed implementation.