Australia is planning major restrictions on foreign students as part of efforts to reduce migration, with new rules potentially preventing students from bringing their spouses, partners and children to the country during their studies.
The government is also planning to tighten rules governing visa changes for temporary migrants.
The proposed measures were reported by Australian media on Thursday, hours before Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke was scheduled to outline major changes to the country’s migration policy.
Under the government’s plan, net overseas migration is expected to fall to 225,000 by 2028, compared with around 300,000 currently.
Burke was expected to provide further details in a speech at the National Press Club, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
At present, spouses or partners of international students can generally accompany them to Australia and may also be allowed to work. The number of hours they can work depends on the type of course undertaken by the student.
International students can also bring dependent children under the age of 18.
The proposed restrictions come as the right-wing One Nation party gains support in recent opinion polls. The party said earlier this week that it wanted to reduce the number of temporary migrants by 750,000 over three years to create what it described as “breathing space” for Australians.
One Nation, which promotes an “Australia First” policy, has also proposed limiting net overseas migration to 130,000 a year after the initial three-year period. The party said its proposed programme would be reviewed annually.
Some of the party’s policies have been compared with those of US President Donald Trump.
International students, backpackers and temporary skilled workers have played a major role in Australia’s recent migration growth. Migration increased significantly after the country reopened its borders in February 2022, following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions that had been in place for nearly two years.
However, migration has been declining over the past two years. Critics have argued that high levels of migration have placed additional pressure on housing and infrastructure and affected social cohesion.
According to official data, net overseas migration stood at 306,000 in the year ending June 30, 2025. More than half of the migrants were international students. Net migration was 429,000 in 2024 and reached a record 518,000 in 2023.
