Speaking at the National Migration Conference, Hill said the new dependant rules took effect on October 2, meaning most international students will no longer be able to bring family members to Australia unless they fall within a limited group of exemptions.
“From today, students will only be allowed to bring dependent family members in limited circumstances,” said Hill.
The exemptions include PhD students, students receiving Australian or foreign government scholarships, and students from ASEAN or Pacific Island nations.
Students will have to apply for any secondary dependent family members as part of their initial student visa application.
“No students will be permitted to add subsequent entrants after their initial visa is granted,” said Hill.
The government says the measure is aimed at strengthening visa integrity and preventing relationships being used to bring people to Australia after a student has already started their studies.
The same rules will apply to Temporary Graduate visa holders.
Families already in Australia will be protected under a grandfathering arrangement.
“The government is not in the business of breaking up families already here,” said Hill.
The timing of the dependant restrictions was among several details confirmed by Hill in a speech setting out how the next stage of Australia’s migration reforms will operate.
“All but one of the new student visa rules take effect as of today,” he said.
After a student starts their principal course there are now only three ways to change while onshore, explained Hill:
- An extension to a visa to allow more time to complete a course – e.g. if a student gets sick, fails a subject or their provider goes broke.
- An onshore transfer, or
- After completing a course, to progress with further studies a student will have to apply for a new student visa, for a course that must be higher in the Australian Qualifications Framework.
“Onshore applications from Higher Education to higher VET courses will be explicitly not allowed,” he confirmed.
From July 1 2027, students wanting to transfer to another provider will need to be granted a new student visa through a dedicated transfer stream.
They will need to have commenced at the provider that issued the Confirmation of Enrolment for their visa and studied their principal course for at least six months.
“Young people do sometimes pick the wrong course and there are legitimate reasons to transfer,” acknowledged Hill.
“But the quantum and pattern has been unacceptable, raising integrity concerns – hence this new requirement.”
Young people do sometimes pick the wrong course and there are legitimate reasons to transfer. But the quantum and pattern has been unacceptable, raising integrity concerns – hence this new requirement.
Julian Hill, assistant minister for international education
Students will not be allowed to begin with their new provider until the new visa has been granted.
The new visa will retain the same end date as the original, which Hill said would prevent students from failing to attend their initial course before moving to a cheaper provider.
As an interim measure, students are now unable to transfer between providers within their first 12 months of commencing a principal course. That rule will remain in place until the new transfer visa stream begins in July 2027.
Another change now in effect closes pathways from a range of temporary visas into the student visa system.
People on working holiday maker, training and temporary employer visas, among others, will no longer be able to apply for a student visa while in Australia.
Hill said the changes formed part of a broader effort to reduce migration from the elevated levels seen after Australia’s borders reopened.
Net overseas migration has already fallen by almost 50% from its post-Covid peak, he said, but further reductions were required.
“Further reductions are needed to reach the sensible, balanced forecasts in the Budget, and give housing a chance to catchup,” Hill said.
It comes as the government is also seeking to stabilise the working holiday maker program, with Hill saying participation had reached record levels.
“There are currently around 95,000 more working holiday makers in Australia than at the start of the pandemic,” he said.
There are currently around 215,000 working holiday makers onshore, with the government aiming to stabilise the program at around 200,000.
“The aim is not to slash the program, but to stabilise it at around 200,000 or so people.”
Hill said the changes would restore limits on how long backpackers can stay in Australia and return the program to its original purpose as a “short term cultural and work exchange”.
For international education, Hill said the government remained committed to attracting international students but would continue to manage the size and composition of the sector.
“Australia welcomes genuine students seeking a premium Australian education,” he said.
“But the government will not back down from seeking to manage the size and the shape of the onshore student market.”
“Continued success in international education requires a ruthless focus on integrity and a great student experience, and must be measured in the quality not just the quantity of students Australia attracts and welcomes.”
The changes have not been universally welcomed by the international education sector.
Ian Pratt, managing director of Lexis English, criticised what he described as a pattern of repeated changes to student visa settings, saying: “This is not how competent government manages a major export industry. There is no plan, no long-term strategy and no stable destination.”
Pratt said the latest measures were “yet another crashing blow” for VET, particularly the removal of the pathway for working holiday makers to move into study while in Australia.
“Competent government works with industry, tests the consequences, makes a deliberate change and then provides policy stability,” he said.
