The Australian government has announced significant changes to its student visa application rules, effective from July 1, aimed at curbing the practice of visa hopping among international students. Visa hopping, a loophole that has allowed international students to remain in Australia indefinitely by continuously extending their stay on temporary visas, will now face stringent restrictions. These new measures will impact thousands of overseas students currently in Australia.
The recent move by the Australian government is part of a broader effort to tighten the migration system and ensure its integrity. According to the Migration Strategy released last year, there has been a notable increase of over 30 percent in the number of international students obtaining a second or subsequent student visa, totaling more than 150,000 in the 2022-23 period.
Peter McDonald, a renowned Australian demographer, has supported these changes, asserting that restricting visa hopping by limiting visa applications from those already in the country would better manage population growth compared to reducing the permanent migration intake. The government has already implemented measures such as no further stay conditions on visitor visas and the Genuine Student requirement introduced in March. This requirement has successfully prevented thousands of students from repeatedly extending their stay through successive student visas unless there is credible course progression. These actions complement over a dozen other policies aimed at restoring integrity in the international student system, such as ending unrestricted work rights and terminating the previous government’s COVID visa.
On July 1, the Albanese Government will further tighten regulations by preventing Visitor Visa holders from applying for Student Visas while onshore. The visitor-to-student pathway has become increasingly prevalent, with over 36,000 applications from July 1, 2023, to the end of May 2024. This measure aims to close a pathway that has been exploited to circumvent the government’s strengthened offshore student visa integrity measures.
Additionally, Temporary Graduate Visa holders will no longer be able to apply for Student Visas while in Australia. The Grattan Institute’s recent Graduates in Limbo report highlighted that 32 percent of Temporary Graduate Visa holders return to study upon visa expiry to prolong their stay in the country. This change signals that graduates should either secure skilled employment and transition to permanent residency or leave the country, rather than becoming ‘permanently temporary.’
These changes align with other adjustments for Temporary Graduate visa holders that will take effect on July 1. These include significantly shorter post-study work rights, a reduced age limit from 50 to 35 years, and increased English language requirements implemented in March. Collectively, these measures are expected to reduce net overseas migration, with the government on track to halve net overseas migration by the next financial year.
Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security Clare O’Neil emphasized the government’s commitment to reforming the migration system. She stated, “The migration system we inherited was completely broken, and our goal is to build a smaller, better planned, more strategic migration system that works for Australia.” O’Neil further outlined that the Migration Strategy provides a clear plan to close loopholes in international education, and the upcoming changes are the next step in delivering that plan.
O’Neil underscored the importance of a migration system that addresses Australia’s skill needs without succumbing to exploitation and loopholes. She concluded, “We need a migration system which delivers the skills we need, but doesn’t trade in loopholes and exploitation.”
Through these comprehensive measures, the Australian government aims to create a more robust, efficient, and integrity-driven migration system, ensuring that international education serves its intended purpose without compromising the nation’s migration policies.
