Australia mulls student visa restrictions

The Australian government is considering significant new restrictions on international student visas. The proposed reforms could be brought forward to September.

Based on the newspaper's report, the changes would include restrictions on lodging student visa applications from within Australia. There would also be limits on which international students could bring partners and dependants. Tighter rules around students changing courses are also under consideration.

Potential Visa Changes

The government is reportedly also considering blocking students from moving from higher education into the vocational education and training (VET) sector. Broader measures to limit "visa hopping" and onshore pathways to migration are part of the discussion.

Some exemptions for family members would apply. These exemptions would reportedly include postgraduate research students, government-sponsored students, and students from Pacific nations and Timor-Leste.

The UK introduced similar restrictions in 2024. There, international students are generally only able to bring dependants if they are studying a postgraduate research program or are sponsored by a national government.

Sector Reaction and Government Stance

Reacting to the report, Group of Eight chief executive Vicki Thomson said there was a "legitimate debate to be had about migration settings, quality and integrity across parts of the international education sector". She argued that students choosing to study in Australia were not "gaming the system".

"What is not helpful is treating every provider, every student and every institution as though they are the same. They are not," Thomson said. She added that government policies should distinguish between volume and value, avoiding a focus on short-term migration goals over Australia's long-term global outlook.

On the same day the newspaper story was published, Carolyn Evans, chair of Universities Australia, warned that radically reducing international student numbers could have consequences far beyond university finances. Delivering her State of the Sector address at the National Press Club on August 25, Evans suggested the debate had become too simplistic. She argued the government should confront trade-offs openly.

Speaking at The PIE Live Asia Pacific conference last month, Julian Hill, assistant minister for international education, was clear. "We're not going to back off from the need to manage the size and the shape of the onshore student market," he told the audience. He reiterated the government's ambitions to lower net overseas migration.

The government has forecast that net overseas migration will fall to 225,000 by the 2027/28 period. This follows a peak of 538,000 in 2022/23 after Australia's borders reopened.

The PIE News has contacted the Department of Home Affairs for comment.