Australia Visa Updates: Government Enforces Stricter Migration Rules and Revises Student Visa Rules

The Home Affairs Minister of Australia, Clare O’Neil, has unveiled the new immigration strategy for the country in his recent media briefing. The Australian Government is planning to reduce the immigration numbers to half in the next couple of years. This step is taken to fix their existing immigration strategy. 

This means that the country has decided to make it a bit challenging for individuals to get an student visa Australia. This is a precautionary measure taken by the government to level the Australia immigration to a ‘sustainable’ level. 

Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese has said, “The Australia immigration system is broken.”

This recent student visa Australia news also mentions how the new changes will also lead to stringent rules towards issuing new visas. It has been decided to make the English test for Australian visas more rigid. The assessment will be even more difficult for those who would be applying for an student visa Australia for the second time. They must be able to communicate how their academic endeavour would advance their career growth for them. 

Looking at the statistics, approximately 510,000 individuals, including international students, moved to Australia in 2023 up until June. The Australian government has decided to put a cap on the number of Australian migrants and cut it by 50% for the upcoming years. This is done to ease the pressure on the country’s infrastructure and housing. The current Australia immigration has crossed the apex, making it difficult for the rental market to survive, leading the country to homelessness. With this vision in mind, the government of Australia has decided to cut down the annual intake to 250,000. This number aligns with the numbers from the pre-pandemic times by the end of June 2025. Currently, Australia is home to around 650,000 international students. This number includes the students on their second visa as well. 

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil stated, “Australian migration system had been left in tatters by the previous government.”

The boost in Australian migration was put in place to help the industry giants and recruiters make up for the deficiency of efficient and skilled workers. The new policies introduced by the government will help in alluring a skilled workforce and efficient students to the country and reduce the load on those who already live, work and study in Australia, Ms O’Neil mentioned.

As the country faces a serious shortage of skilled workers, the government plans to introduce a specialist visa dedicated to giving entry to highly skilled workers. This will help the industry giants recruit the best and most qualified migrant workers as they compete on a global scale to stand apart.