Australia tightens visa rules, leaving Bangladeshi students worried about future

Australia’s federal government has introduced major restrictions on its immigration policy. The new rules include closing the pathway for international students to switch from one visa to another, limiting opportunities to bring family members and introducing restrictions to prevent the misuse of visitor visas.

Australian Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Tony Burke outlined the new visa restrictions at an event held at the National Press Club in the capital, Canberra, on Thursday afternoon.

The previous day, Wednesday, the government had signalled major changes to its immigration policy. Students who have travelled to Australia from Bangladesh and other countries are now anxious about the new policy.

The Labor government, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, adopted this tougher stance amid political pressure over the country’s severe housing shortage and rising cost of living. However, various university authorities have warned that such decisions could cause serious damage to the international education sector.

Speaking at the Canberra event, titled ‘The work of managing the migration program: who arrives, who stays, who leaves’, Tony Burke said the annual net migration figure would be reduced to 245,000 in the 2026–27 financial year. The target is to reduce it further to 225,000 a year in subsequent years.

According to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, net migration in a year recorded up to March this year fell to 292,100. This figure was lower than that recorded during the same period the previous year and was the lowest since mid-2022.

The new immigration policy introduces strict restrictions to prevent ‘visa hopping’. Visa hopping refers to international students enrolling in lower-quality courses after completing higher education or repeatedly switching visas. At the same time, opportunities for international students to bring family members to Australia are also being restricted.

Regarding the new rules, Tony Burke said opportunities for international students to bring their families to Australia would no longer be expanded. However, those already studying in Australia would be exempt. Applicants from Pacific and Southeast Asian countries would also be exempt. Besides, PhD students would be allowed to bring their families.

Under the new policy, all types of tourist visas will include a ‘no further stay’ condition to prevent people from extending their stay after entering Australia on a visitor visa. As a result, the opportunity to travel to Australia as a tourist and then apply for another type of visa there would effectively be closed.

Under the policy, monitoring and legal measures are being strengthened to ensure that people whose visas have expired leave the country quickly. In addition, a lottery system will be introduced for approvals of second- and third-year Working Holiday visas in the agriculture and services sectors. However, skilled migrants will be given priority in fields facing labour shortages, such as construction, healthcare and agriculture.

The new policy grants immigration officials special powers to quickly cancel the visas of migrants involved in violence against children, domestic abuse and hate crimes, and to deport them.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Australia would welcome those who came to the country to contribute sincerely to its economy and society. However, he said any irregularities or unfair exploitation of loopholes in the immigration system would not be tolerated.

General international students took to the streets across Australia on Thursday to protest the reduction in migration. Thousands of university and high school students boycotted classes and joined protest marches, expressing anger over the government’s decision. Gatherings were held in major cities, including Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, as well as at Sydney’s famous Hyde Park.

Bangladeshi students are also anxious. A Bangladeshi student living in Sydney’s Denham Court area said, “We came here legally to study after paying enormous tuition fees. But the way the rules are being changed so frequently, and the opportunities to switch from one course or visa to another are being closed, has left our future facing extreme uncertainty.”

Another student living in Lakemba expressed similar concerns. The student said the new decision would be a major blow to those working day and night on temporary visas in an effort to build a future for themselves in Australia. The government’s policy changes could create a situation in which they might have to return to their home countries at any time.