Australia has announced a major package of immigration reforms affecting skilled migration, Student and Graduate visas, Working Holiday visas, Visitor visas and migration compliance.
On 17 September 2026, Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Tony Burke outlined the Government’s next stage of migration reform in a National Press Club address titled Who Arrives, Who Stays, Who Leaves.
The Government says the reforms are designed to give Australia greater control over migration while continuing to attract workers in areas where skills are needed. The objective is to bring Net Overseas Migration, or NOM, towards 245,000 in 2026–27 and 225,000 in 2027–28.
The changes cover several different parts of the migration system. Importantly, however, not every measure announced is already in effect. Some can be introduced administratively, others will be progressively implemented, and some proposals still require legislation.
Here is what we know so far.
Why is Australia changing its migration system?
The Government says it wants to reduce Net Overseas Migration while avoiding broad cuts that could make it harder for Australia to recruit workers in areas such as healthcare, aged care, construction and regional industries.
According to the Government, the latest data show NOM at 292,000, down 47% from the post-COVID peak in 2023. The next target is 245,000 for the current financial year, followed by 225,000 in 2027–28.
Rather than simply reducing migration across every visa category, the Government’s approach is focused on three questions: who arrives, who stays and who leaves.
This means some skilled migrants could actually benefit from the new priorities, while some temporary visa pathways will become more restrictive.
Australia’s skilled migration points test is changing
One of the biggest announcements concerns the points test for skilled migration. The Government has redesigned the points test in consultation with Treasury, with a particular focus on the permanent skilled migration program.
One significant change will affect workers with skills needed for housing construction.
Under the announced approach, people skilled in selected housing trades will receive the same qualification points as someone with a university qualification, even where their qualification would ordinarily attract fewer points because it is a trade or vocational qualification.
This is designed to make construction workers more competitive within the skilled migration system.
What does this mean for tradespeople?
The announcement could be particularly significant for people working in housing-related trades.
Under the current structure, different educational qualifications can attract different points. The new system is intended to provide an uplift for selected skills that Australia particularly needs.
However, the complete new points table and the full list of eligible housing trade occupations still need to be confirmed.
Applicants should therefore not recalculate their migration points based on the announcement alone.
Further implementation details are still required.
Priority processing will change for skilled visas
The Government will also update Ministerial Direction 119, which determines priorities within parts of visa processing.
The updated direction is intended to give priority to key sectors including:
- healthcare
- construction
- education
- law enforcement and defence
- resources
- agriculture
- aquaculture and fishing
The Government’s objective is to better align visa processing with Australia’s workforce needs. This does not mean that everyone working in these sectors will automatically receive a visa.
Applicants will still need to satisfy the requirements of the relevant visa. The change relates to how priority is given within the processing system.
The precise commencement and operation of the revised Ministerial Direction should be monitored as further details are published.
Major changes are coming to Working Holiday visas
Working Holiday Makers are one of the groups most directly affected by the announcement.
The Government plans to introduce a ballot system for second and third Working Holiday visas.
Currently, eligible Working Holiday Makers can qualify for additional visas after completing the required specified work.
Under the announced system, completing that work will still be necessary, but it will no longer necessarily guarantee access to another Working Holiday visa.
Instead, eligible applicants will enter a ballot.
Second Working Holiday visa
The Government plans to limit the Year 2 ballot to:
45,000 places
For comparison, Burke said around 57,000 people qualified last year.
Applicants will still need to complete the required regional or specified work to qualify for the ballot.
Third Working Holiday visa
The reduction for the third year will be much larger.
The Year 3 ballot is planned to have:
5,000 places
Burke said approximately 31,000 people were in this group last year.
Again, applicants will still need to satisfy the applicable specified work requirements before becoming eligible for the ballot.
Does completing regional work still guarantee another WHV?
Under the announced model, no.
Completing the required work would make an applicant eligible to participate in the ballot, rather than guaranteeing the subsequent visa.
The Government has also announced that Working Holiday Maker processing times will be stabilised at around three months.
Detailed ballot rules, transitional arrangements and how the changes will affect current WHM holders still need to be confirmed.
UK Working Holiday Makers are in a different position
Burke also specifically addressed the rapid increase in Working Holiday Makers from the United Kingdom.
He said there were around 17,000 UK backpackers in Australia when the Australia–UK Free Trade Agreement was signed, although that figure was affected by the pandemic. The previous peak had been around 35,000.
The number is now just under 80,000.
Because the UK arrangement forms part of the Free Trade Agreement and does not have the same regional work requirement, Burke said processing for UK Working Holiday applications would continue at the slower pace seen in recent years while the Government continues discussions with the UK.
Family rules for Student and Graduate visas will tighten
Another major announcement affects international students and Temporary Graduate visa holders.
The Government intends to restrict secondary applicants on most new Student and Graduate visa applications.
In practical terms, most new applicants will no longer automatically be able to include family members in the way currently available.
There will, however, be exceptions.
Burke specifically identified special arrangements for:
- Pacific countries
- ASEAN countries
- certain courses, including PhD programs
What happens to families already in Australia?
This is an important distinction.
Burke said the Government will not separate families who are already onshore and already attached to the relevant visa.
The change is aimed at new applications and future entrants rather than removing family members who are already in Australia under existing arrangements.
The exact commencement date, eligibility rules and transitional arrangements still need to be confirmed.
Student visa hopping will be restricted
The Government is also changing the rules around further study in Australia.
The objective is to stop Student visas being used primarily to extend someone’s stay through repeated courses that do not represent genuine educational progression.
Burke described a simple principle:
Students will be able to move up the qualification scale, but not use repeated downward or lateral study primarily to extend their stay.
For example, progressing from a bachelor’s degree to a master’s degree would represent upward progression.
Moving repeatedly between lower or equivalent qualifications simply to remain in Australia is the type of behaviour the Government intends to restrict.
Does this mean students can never change courses?
No. The announcement does not mean every course change will be prohibited.
Burke specifically distinguished genuine situations such as needing an extension because of illness or changing providers because an education provider has ceased operating.
The focus is on preventing the Student visa system from being used primarily as a migration strategy rather than for genuine education.
Further departmental guidance will be important before determining exactly how the new rules apply to individual students.
Visitor visas will receive a No Further Stay condition
This could become one of the most significant changes for people planning to enter Australia as visitors and later apply for another visa onshore.
The Government has announced that No Further Stay conditions will be attached to future Visitor visas.
The purpose is to ensure Visitor visas are genuinely used for temporary visits rather than as a way to enter Australia and then routinely transition to another visa while remaining onshore.
Burke linked this specifically to situations where people enter Australia as visitors and subsequently lodge another visa application onshore, allowing them to remain on a Bridging visa.
Does this affect people already in Australia?
According to Burke, no. He said this measure relates to future Visitor visas and will not retrospectively change the position of families already in Australia.
There is also an exception in relation to protection applications.
For anyone planning to enter Australia on a Visitor visa with the expectation of later changing visa status onshore, this is therefore a particularly important development to monitor.
Australia wants greater control over who can apply to migrate
Burke also discussed introducing an Expression of Interest system as a broader way of managing demand-driven migration.
An EOI model could give the Government greater control over who is invited to proceed with particular migration processes rather than allowing demand to determine application volumes.
However, Burke was clear that this element requires legislation.
The Government does not currently have the legislative authority needed to implement that part of the reform package.
It should therefore be treated as a policy proposal rather than a rule currently applying to visa applicants.
Migration agents will face stronger sanctions
The Government also announced measures targeting migration agents who encourage applicants to lodge applications without merit.
The migration agent code will be changed so that agents who encourage non-meritorious claims can face sanctions, including potential deregistration.
The Government’s broader objective is to improve integrity across the migration system and discourage applications being used simply to extend someone’s stay in Australia.
Australia will increase action against visa overstayers
The final part of Burke’s framework focuses on who leaves Australia.
The Government plans to increase compliance resources, including:
100 additional compliance officers and 250 short-stay detention beds.
Burke said the objective is not simply to detain more people.
The Government wants to restore an enforcement approach where visible compliance activity encourages people without a valid visa to organise their departure voluntarily.
The central message from the Government is that people who no longer hold a valid visa are expected to leave Australia.
What is Australia’s new Net Overseas Migration target?
The Government is using these reforms to move Net Overseas Migration towards the figures contained in the Budget.
|
Period |
NOM |
|
Latest figure announced |
292,000 |
|
2026–27 target |
245,000 |
|
2027–28 target |
225,000 |
The Government says NOM has already fallen 47% from its post-COVID peak in 2023.
Importantly, this strategy is not simply about reducing the number of migrants.
The Government says it wants to change the composition of migration as well, maintaining access to workers needed in areas such as housing construction, healthcare, aged care and regional industries while restricting pathways it considers inconsistent with the intended purpose of temporary visas.
Are Tony Burke’s immigration changes already in effect?
Not all of them.
This is probably the most important point for visa applicants following today’s announcement.
The Department of Home Affairs says the changes have begun to be implemented and will be progressively rolled out over the next 12 months.
Different measures require different implementation processes.
Some can be introduced through administrative decisions, visa conditions or Ministerial Directions.
Other measures require new legislation to pass Parliament.
Important details still to monitor include the commencement and operation of the revised Ministerial Direction 119, the final design of the new skilled migration points test, exact commencement dates for new visa settings, transitional arrangements for existing applicants, detailed WHM ballot rules and further guidance for Student and Graduate visa applicants.
For this reason, an announcement should not automatically be treated as a visa rule that applies today.
What do these changes mean for migrants in Australia?
There is no single answer because different groups are affected differently.
For skilled workers, particularly people working in construction and other priority sectors, parts of the announcement could create opportunities through points and processing priorities.
For Working Holiday Makers, access to second and especially third-year visas could become considerably more competitive.
For international students and graduates, family arrangements and long-term study strategies will require closer attention.
For visitors, entering Australia with the intention of changing to another visa onshore may become much more difficult once the announced No Further Stay policy is implemented.
The common theme is that the Government wants the purpose of a visa to align more closely with how that visa is actually used.
FAQs
What immigration changes did Australia announce in September 2026?
The Government announced reforms affecting the skilled migration points test, skilled visa processing priorities, Working Holiday visas, Student and Graduate visas, Visitor visas, migration agents and compliance with visa conditions.
Is Australia changing the skilled migration points test?
Yes. The Government has announced a redesigned points test and intends to give selected housing trade skills qualification points equivalent to university qualifications. Full details of the new system still need to be released.
Is Australia ending second and third Working Holiday visas?
No. The Government plans to introduce ballots. The announced limits are 45,000 places for Year 2 and 5,000 for Year 3. Applicants will still need to meet the applicable specified work requirements to qualify for the ballot.
Can international students still bring their family to Australia?
The Government has announced restrictions on secondary applicants for most new Student and Graduate visa applications, with exceptions including certain Pacific and ASEAN arrangements and some courses such as PhDs. Families already onshore and attached to existing visas will not be separated under the announced policy.
Can students still change courses in Australia?
Genuine extensions and some legitimate changes will remain possible. However, the Government intends to require subsequent study to represent upward educational progression rather than repeated lateral or downward study used primarily to extend a stay.
Can I enter Australia on a Visitor visa and apply for another visa?
The Government has announced that future Visitor visas will carry a No Further Stay condition, subject to the announced exception concerning protection applications. The measure is intended to restrict routine onshore visa transitions from Visitor visas. Detailed implementation guidance should be checked before relying on the change.
When do the new Australian immigration rules start?
There is no single commencement date for the entire package. Home Affairs says implementation has begun and the measures will be progressively rolled out over the next 12 months. Some changes still require further instruments, directions or legislation.
What should visa applicants do now?
Tony Burke’s announcement represents an important change in the direction of Australia’s migration system, but applicants should avoid making decisions based only on headlines.
The effect will depend on your visa, when you apply and the transitional arrangements introduced for each measure.
Most importantly, announced policy and current migration law are not always the same thing.
As the Government publishes the new points test, Ministerial Directions, visa instruments, commencement dates and transitional provisions, the practical impact of these reforms will become clearer.
If you are currently planning a visa application or are concerned about how the announced changes could affect your pathway, Seven Law Group can help you understand the rules that apply to your circumstances and plan your next steps.