International students, 'visa hoppers' and backpackers targeted in Australia migration crackdown

On student visas, he said the government would clamp down on "visa hopping" - where a student finishes a course, then applies to do another course which is often a lower qualification and sometimes with a "not so legitimate provider".Students who want to go "up the scale" will be allowed, Burke said, for example, if a student finishes a bachelor's degree and then wants to complete a masters.He also announced major changes to working holiday visas for those aged 18 to 30 years old who can work in Australia for 12 months, but can extend for a second and third year. Currently, these visa holders must work for three months in regional Australia during their first year to qualify for a second year, and then six months to qualify for a third year.Under the new changes, those who qualify for a second year will have to go into a ballot with a cap of 45,000, down from the 57,000 who qualified last year.For the third year, the ballot will be limited to 5,000, down from 31,000 who qualified last year. British working holidaymakers will not be affected by these changes due to the UK's free trade agreement with Australia.New figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday showed Australia's population grew 1.4% in the 12 months to March 2026 to 27.9m.That total figure included births and deaths as well as a net overseas migration of 292,100.