Australia's New Measures to Stop 'Visa Hopping' | Australia Immigration Updates
The Australian government is making significant strides to reform the migration system by addressing the issue of 'visa hopping'—a practice where temporary visa holders, particularly international students, continuously extend their stay through various visa renewals.
This has been a growing concern, with the number of international students staying in Australia on multiple student visas increasing by over 30% to more than 150,000 in the 2022–23 period.
Recent Measures and Impacts
Peter McDonald, a prominent Australian demographer, has emphasized that curtailing visa hopping more effectively manages population growth compared to reducing the permanent migration intake. In response, the government has implemented several measures:
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No Further Stay Conditions: These conditions on visitor visas prevent temporary visa holders from easily transitioning to other visa types while onshore.
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Genuine Student Requirement: Introduced in March, this measure ensures students can only extend their stay if they demonstrate credible academic progression. This has significantly reduced the number of students switching from one student visa to another without legitimate reasons.
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Restricting Visitor to Student Pathway: Starting 1 July, visitor visa holders will no longer be able to apply for student visas while in Australia. This aims to close a loophole exploited by over 36,000 applicants from July 2023 to May 2024, who used this pathway to bypass stricter offshore student visa requirements.
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Temporary Graduate Visa Restrictions: Temporary Graduate Visa holders will not be able to apply for student visas onshore, addressing the trend identified by the Grattan Institute, where 32% of these graduates return to study to extend their stay. This change encourages graduates to either find skilled employment and transition to permanent residency or leave the country.
Additional Reforms Effective 1 July
- Shortened Post-Study Work Rights: This aims to ensure that post-study work is a step towards permanent residency rather than an indefinite extension of temporary stay.
- Reduced Age Limits: The maximum age for Temporary Graduate Visa holders will be reduced from 50 to 35 years.
- Increased English Language Requirements: Implemented in March, these requirements ensure that migrants have the necessary language skills to integrate and contribute effectively.
These reforms are part of a broader strategy to halve net overseas migration by the next financial year, reinforcing the government's commitment to a more strategic and well-planned migration system that addresses Australia’s needs without enabling exploitation and loopholes.
Quotes from Minister Clare O’Neil
The migration system they inherited was completely broken, and the goal is to build a smaller, better planned, more strategic migration system that works for Australia. The Migration Strategy outlines a clear plan to close the loopholes in international education and this is the next step in delivering that plan. They need a migration system which delivers the skills they need, but doesn’t trade in rorts, loopholes and exploitation.
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