Australia plans to halve migrant intake and tighten student visa rules

(Patria) - Australia announced today that it will tighten visa rules for international students and low-skilled workers, which could halve the migrant intake in the next two years, as the government seeks to overhaul what it called a “broken” migration system, Reuters reported.

Under the new policies, foreign students would need to achieve higher marks on English language tests, and a second student visa application would be more scrutinised.

“Our strategy will return migration numbers to normal,” Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil told a media briefing.

“But it’s not just about numbers. It’s not just about this moment and the migration experience that our country is having at this moment. This is about the future of Australia,” she added.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said over the weekend that Australia’s migration numbers needed to return to “sustainable levels”, adding that the “system is broken”.

O’Neil said the government’s targeted reforms were already putting pressure on overseas migration and would further contribute to an expected drop in migrant numbers. The decision comes after net immigration was forecast to peak at a record 510,000 in 2022-23. Official data shows it is projected to fall to about a quarter of a million in 2024-25 and 2025-26, roughly in line with pre-COVID levels.