The Australian government has announced new measures to curb ‘visa hopping,’ preventing visitors and graduates from applying for student visas while in the country. Starting July 1st, visitors will no longer be able to switch to student visas onshore, and graduates won’t be able to transition from post-study work to further study.
The Department of Home Affairs stated that these changes align with the Migration Strategy released last December, aimed at closing loopholes that allow continuous visa extensions. According to the Department, over 36,000 applications were made to transition from visitor to student visas between July 1, 2023, and the end of May 2024. This new measure is intended to block a pathway used to bypass the government’s stricter offshore student visa integrity measures.
The Department did not provide specific evidence on how these switches were undermining offshore measures. Data shows that the number of student visas granted to former visitor visa holders onshore (17,729) in the first 10 months of the current financial year is less than half of the 38,334 issued in 2022/23.
Additionally, from July 1st, Temporary Graduate Visa holders will be prohibited from applying for student visas in Australia. A recent Grattan Institute report found that 32 percent of Graduate Visa holders returned to study after their visa expired. The Department emphasized that graduates should focus on securing skilled jobs and pursuing permanent residency or leave the country to avoid becoming ‘permanently temporary.
These changes are part of a broader effort to reduce net migration, which the government aims to halve by the next financial year. Other measures include shorter post-study work periods and lowering the age limit for a Temporary Graduate Visa to 35 years, with exemptions for research students.
Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security Clare O’Neil stated, “Our Migration Strategy outlines a clear plan to close the loopholes in international education, and this is the next step in delivering that plan. We need a migration system that delivers the skills we need without trading in rorts, loopholes, and exploitation.”