Australia tightens student visas: What changes for Indians?
3 min readUpdated: Sep 18, 2026 08:05 AM IST
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke on Thursday announced new immigration measures targeting temporary visa holders, including international students and working-holiday makers, as the government seeks greater control over migration.
In a speech titled “The Work of Managing the Migration Program: Who Arrives, Who Stays, Who Leaves”, Burke said immigration remained important to Australia, but the government needed greater control over the migration system.
Who will be affected?
The reforms target international students, working-holiday makers and people who use successive visa pathways to extend their stay in Australia. The government is also tightening measures against visa overstayers. Burke said the changes are intended to help meet net overseas migration targets of 245,000 in 2026-27 and 225,000 from 2027-28.
What do the new rules say?
i) Most international students will no longer be able to automatically bring family members to Australia under the new arrangements. Exceptions will apply to students from Pacific and ASEAN countries and certain courses, including PhD programmes. Families already in Australia will not be separated under the changes, according to the government.
ii) Students who want to extend their stay must choose a qualification higher than what they have completed. Burke said the government would clamp down on “visa hopping” — where a student completes a course, then applies to another one which is often for a lower qualification and sometimes with a “not so legitimate provider”. Students who want to go “up the scale” will be allowed, he added.
iii) Rules will also be tighter for working holiday visas – commonly acquired by backpackers and a crucial chunk of the labour force for the agricultural sector – with a ballot system. Working holiday visas are used by people aged between 18 and 30 years, who are permitted to work in Australia for 12 months, but can extend for a second and even a third year.
Under the existing system, working-holiday makers generally need to complete 88 days of eligible regional work to qualify for a second year and six months for a third year. Under the new system, those who meet the requirements will enter a ballot. The second-year ballot will have 45,000 places, compared with about 57,000 people who qualified last year. The third-year ballot will have only 5,000 places, compared with about 31,000 who qualified last year.
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Govt Migration Targets
2026–27 intake target
2027–28 intake target
Student Visa Dependents
- Family members can no longer be automatically attached to general student visas.
- Families already in Australia will not be separated.
- Exceptions: PhD students and certain Pacific/ASEAN nationals.
“Visa Hopping” Crackdown
- Students completing a course must now generally move up the qualification level.
- Switching courses purely to extend the stay is heavily restricted.
Allowed
Restricted
Backpacker / Working Holiday
Places for second and third-year extensions have been scaled back alongside strict regional work requirements.
| Extension | New Cap | Previous | Regional Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Year | 45,000 | 57,000 | 88 days |
| 3rd Year | 5,000 | 31,000 | 6 months |
What Doesn’t Change for India
Post-study work rights secured under the Australia–India ECTA remain fully protected, shielding Indian graduates.
| Qualification | Post-Study Stay |
|---|---|
| Diploma / Trade Qualification | 18 months |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 2 years |
| STEM/ICT (First-Class Hons Bachelor) | Up to 3 years |
| Master’s Degree | 3 years |
| Doctoral (PhD) | 4 years |
These duration entitlements remain documented and preserved by Australia’s DFAT for Indian nationals.
What do these new rules mean for India?
Indian students planning to enrol in undergraduate or non-PhD postgraduate programmes will need to check whether they qualify for any exemption before making plans to bring family members to Australia.
Students in eligible PhD programmes will remain able to bring family members, while families already in Australia will not be separated under the new arrangements.
Burke was also asked about the impact of the changes on Indian nationals and Australia’s commitments under its free-trade agreements with India. He said Australia would continue to honour those commitments. The Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement provides specific post-study work arrangements for Indian graduates, including stays of up to four years for doctoral graduates.
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