Australia is set to tighten migration rules, including restricting international students from bringing partners and children with them, as the government moves to reduce net overseas migration amid growing political pressure over immigration.
The measures, reported on Thursday ahead of a speech by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, would also make it harder for temporary migrants to switch visas. Burke is expected to announce that net overseas migration will be reduced to 225,000 by 2028, from about 300,000 currently, according to public broadcaster ABC News, which did not cite its sources.
Burke’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Under the current system, spouses and partners of international students can accompany them to Australia and are permitted to work, although the number of hours they can work varies according to the student’s course of study. International students can also bring dependent children under the age of 18.
The proposed restrictions would mark a further tightening of Australia’s approach to temporary migration, particularly a system in which international education has become a major driver of population growth. The government’s plans come as immigration has become an increasingly prominent political issue, with pressure mounting over the scale of temporary migration and its effects on Australian communities.
The changes also follow demands from the hard-right One Nation party, which has been surging in recent polls. The party said this week that it would slash the number of temporary migrants by 750,000 over three years, arguing that the reduction would give Australians “breathing space.”
One Nation, which describes its approach as “Australia first”, has said it would seek to restrict net overseas migration to 130,000 after the initial three years, with the programme reviewed annually. Its policies have drawn comparisons to those of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Australia’s migration intake, driven largely by international students, backpackers and temporary skilled workers, expanded sharply after the country reopened its borders in February 2022 following nearly two years of COVID-19 restrictions. The subsequent surge has since begun to ease, with migration numbers trending lower over the past two years.
The scale of the reduction has nevertheless become a major point of political and public debate. Critics of high migration levels have argued that the influx has intensified pressure on housing and infrastructure while also straining social cohesion. The government’s reported target indicates that the issue is now being addressed through a broader effort to reduce the number of people entering the country on a net basis.
Official figures show that net overseas migration totalled 306,000 in the year ended June 30, 2025, with international students accounting for more than half of that total. Net migration stood at 429,000 in 2024, after reaching a peak of 518,000 in 2023.
Against that backdrop, the proposed restrictions on international students and temporary visa changes would represent another step towards bringing migration levels down. Burke’s planned announcement is expected to set out how the government intends to achieve its 2028 target as Australia confronts competing pressures over population growth, migration and the capacity of housing and infrastructure to accommodate new arrivals.
