The Minister for the Arts, Home Affairs, Cyber Security, Immigration and Citizenship, Leader of the House Tony Burke (R) speaks in the House of Representatives in Parliament House on September 16, 2026 in Canberra, Australia. Both houses of parliament sat in September, as political turmoil plagues the opposition, One Nation continues to make headlines, and the major parties continue to bleed support to independents and minor parties. (Getty Images)
Australia plans to reduce migration by tightening student and working holiday visa rules and stepping up enforcement against overstayers, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Sept. 17.
Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra, Burke described immigration as “fundamentally a strength” but said housing pressures required changes.
“We need immigration to soften enough that housing has a chance to catch up,” he said, stressing that migrants had not caused the housing shortage.
Net overseas migration fell to 292,100 in the year to March, according to official data released on Sept. 17. The government aims to bring the figure down to 225,000 in the 2027–28 financial year.
International students would face tighter restrictions on bringing family members to Australia and switching courses to extend their stay. Families already in the country would be unaffected.
Working holidaymakers subject to regional work requirements would enter a ballot for second- or third-year visas, with 5,000 places available for the third year. New visitor visas would also carry “no further stay” conditions.
Burke said the government would hire 100 additional compliance officers and add 250 immigration detention beds. People who overstay their visas would face detention and deportation, he said.
Migrants with construction and housing skills would be given priority for visas.
Burke denied that the changes were a response to rising support for the far-right One Nation party, which advocates much deeper migration cuts. Business groups have warned that those cuts would damage the economy.
