Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke used a National Press Club address on 17 September 2026 to unveil the federal government's long-awaited migration overhaul. The speech, titled "The work of managing the migration program: who arrives, who stays, who leaves," outlined the biggest set of changes to hit student, working holiday, and skilled visas in some time.
Here's what was announced, broken down for anyone currently planning a move to Australia.
Key Takeaways
- Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced a major migration overhaul at the National Press Club on 17 September 2026, covering skilled visas, student visas, working holiday visas, and visitor visas.
- The points test for the Subclass 189, 190, and 491 visas will give trade qualifications the same points as a university qualification, alongside a broader prioritisation of healthcare, education, and construction skills.
- Most future international students and graduates (Subclass 500 and 485) will no longer be able to bring a partner or children with them, though students from Pacific and ASEAN nations and PhD candidates are exempt.
- Students already in Australia with family attached to their visa won't be affected. The change applies only to future visa grants.
- Working Holiday Maker visas move to a tighter ballot system: year two is capped at 45,000 (down from 57,000), and year three drops to just 5,000 places (down from 31,000), both still requiring regional work.
- UK working holiday makers stay exempt from the regional work requirement under the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement, though processing for this cohort will remain slower than other applicants.
- A No Further Stay condition will be added to all future visitor visas, generally preventing onshore applications to extend a stay.
- Students will only be able to move to a higher-level course than the one they're currently studying, as part of a crackdown on so-called "visa hopping".
- Most of these changes are being implemented through regulation and ministerial direction rather than new legislation, so they may take effect faster than a typical parliamentary process, though exact start dates for several measures haven't been published yet.
Points Test to Recognise Trade Qualifications Equally
As part of the reforms to the General Skilled Migration points test, which covers the Skilled Independent (subclass 189), Skilled Nominated (subclass 190), and Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491) visas, the government confirmed that applicants with a Housing trade qualification will receive the same points as those with a university qualification.
This is separate from the broader points test rewrite already working through consultation. That process is still pre-legislation, with commencement not expected before mid-2027.
Today's trade-qualification change was announced as part of the current overhaul, though an exact start date hasn't been confirmed yet. For anyone weighing up a trade pathway to PR against a university degree, this is a meaningful shift and one worth factoring into course planning now.
Check Your Points Test Score
See where you stand for the 189, 190 and 491 visas using our free points calculator, and find out if today's trade-qualification change affects your score.
Student and Graduate Visas: Family Members Largely Off the Table
International students on a Student (subclass 500) or Graduate (subclass 485) visa will generally no longer be able to bring a partner or children to Australia as secondary applicants.
A few exceptions apply:
- Students and graduates from Pacific and ASEAN nations
- Certain courses, including PhDs, where the government says a longer, different life stage justifies bringing family
Burke was clear that this won't affect anyone already in Australia with family members attached to their visa. It applies to future visa grants, not existing arrangements. No commencement date has been published yet.
If you're planning to study in Australia and hoped to bring a partner or child with you, it's worth speaking to a migration agent about your specific course length and nationality before you commit to an offer.
How Family Members Affect Student Visa Approval
A closer look at how including a partner or child has historically shaped student visa outcomes, worth reading alongside today's new family visa restrictions.
Working Holiday Maker Visas: Ballot System Tightened, Caps Cut
The Working Holiday Maker (subclass 417/462) program is getting a significant shake-up for second and third-year visas.
|
Visa year |
Historical Participation Figures |
New cap |
Regional work requirement |
|
Year 2 |
57,000 |
45,000 (ballot) |
88 days |
|
Year 3 |
31,000 |
5,000 (ballot) |
6 months |
Year three moves to a ballot system for the first time, with only 5,000 places available against roughly 31,000 who qualified this year, a steep cut.
Separately, Ministerial Direction 119 (the instrument governing visa processing priority) is being updated to add construction, agriculture, fisheries, and teaching to the priority list. According to Burke, this will let the government restore normal processing speeds for primary working holiday-maker applications, most of which had slowed considerably since July.
UK backpackers are the exception. Under the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement, UK working holiday makers aren't subject to the regional work requirement, and the Prime Minister has already ruled out changing that arrangement.
However, Burke confirmed that processing for this cohort will continue at its current slower pace, citing the scheme's rapid growth (from around 17,000 UK backpackers at the time the FTA was signed to nearly 80,000 today) as the reason government resources haven't kept pace.
No Further Stay Condition Expanded to All Visitor Visas
A No Further Stay condition will be attached to all future visitor visas. Burke described this as bringing "consistency" to how family and visitor visas are treated.
Importantly, this only applies to visas issued from now on. Anyone already in Australia on a visitor visa, or whose family is already here, generally aren't affected. In practice, it means future visitor visa applicants generally won't be able to apply onshore for a further visa to extend their stay, including in situations like visiting for a family milestone or an ageing relative.
Visitor Visa Checklist: 3 Essentials
A quick self-assessment checklist for anyone applying for a visitor visa, now more important than ever with the new No Further Stay condition in place.
Course-hopping Crackdown: You Can Only Move Up the Qualification Scale
The government also flagged a new rule targeting so-called visa hopping or moving between courses purely to extend a visa rather than genuinely progress your education.
Under the new approach, a student can generally only apply to a higher-level course than the one they're currently doing. For example, finishing a bachelor's degree and moving on to a master's is fine. Moving sideways or down, for instance switching to a lower-level course at a different provider, will no longer be permitted.
This is aimed squarely at providers and pathways seen as facilitating a migration outcome rather than a genuine study outcome, so it's worth reviewing your course pathway now if you're planning multiple stages of study.
Why Were These Changes Made?
These changes sit within the government's broader push to bring net overseas migration down from around 292,100 (the ABS figure released today) to a target of 225,000 by 2028. Alongside the visa changes above, Burke also announced stronger compliance measures for visa overstayers, including around 100 additional compliance officers and 250 additional detention beds.
Most of these measures are being implemented through ministerial direction and regulation rather than new legislation, which means they can generally move faster than a typical parliamentary process, but it also means some details (exact commencement dates in particular) are still to be confirmed by the Department of Home Affairs.
Thinking through how this affects your own visa pathway?
Book a consultation with one of our registered migration agents to talk through your specific situation before you make any firm plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will international students already in Australia with family members lose them?
No. Minister Burke confirmed the change only applies to future visa grants. Anyone currently in Australia with a partner or child attached to their student or graduate visa won't be affected.
Which students are exempt from the family visa restriction?
Students and graduates from Pacific and ASEAN nations, and PhD candidates, remain able to bring eligible family members. Students from major source countries outside these categories, including India, China, and Nepal, generally fall under the tighter rules unless doing a PhD.
How many places are available for year two and year three Working Holiday visas now?
Year two is capped at 45,000 places (down from 57,000), and year three moves to a ballot system capped at 5,000 places (down from 31,000). Both years still require a period of regional work.
Does the Working Holiday Maker change affect UK backpackers?
UK working holiday makers remain exempt from the regional work requirement under the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement. However, processing for this cohort is expected to continue at a slower pace than other nationalities.
Does the No Further Stay condition apply to visitor visas already issued?
No. It applies only to visitor visas issued from now on, so it won't affect anyone who currently holds a visitor visa.
Can international students still switch courses in Australia?
Generally, only to a higher-level course than the one currently being studied, for example progressing from a bachelor's degree to a master's. Moving sideways or down to a different provider or a lower-level course will no longer be permitted.
Has a start date been confirmed for these changes?
Not for most of them yet. Because these changes are largely being made through regulation and ministerial direction rather than legislation, the Department of Home Affairs is expected to publish implementation details in the coming weeks.
