Australia announces an end to “visa hopping”

From July 1 it will no longer be possible to move from a visitor visa to a student visa while onshore in Australia, the minister for home affairs Clare O’Neil announced on June 12.  

The new rules, announced less than three weeks before they are set to take effect, will end “visa hopping” in the migration system, and close the “loopholes” that allow students and other temporary visa holders to stay in Australia.

“Our Migration Strategy outlines a clear plan to close the loopholes in international education and this is the next step in delivering that plan,” said O’Neil. 

“We need a migration system which delivers the skills we need but doesn’t trade in rorts, loopholes and exploitation.”

Temporary graduate visa holders will also no longer be able to apply for student visas onshore.  

According to English Australia, “this latest change unfairly punishes the many genuine students who initially come to Australia as tourists and then decide they wish to study here. It punishes high quality providers who invest in the services and programs that attract these applicants.”

English Australia members released a statement expressing their disapproval of the move that they believe will drive Australia towards a recession and which represents “yet another dramatic change being made without a basis in data or research” with no consideration of the economic impact of the policy.

For years, prospective students have come to Australia on tourist visas so they can visit a location to ensure it is a good fit for their needs

English Australia

According to the government, the visitor to student pathway has become increasingly prevalent in Australia, with over 36,000 applications from July 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024.  

Clare O’Neil cited Australian demographer, Peter McDonald, who said that curtailing “visa hopping” by accepting fewer visa applications from people already in the country would better manage population growth than by cutting the permanent migration intake. 

According to the announcement, the number of international students staying in Australia on a second or subsequent student visa has grown by over 30% to more than 150,000 in 2022/23. 

However, English Australia noted that, “for many years prospective students have come to Australia on tourist visas, alone and with their families, so they can visit a location and an educational institution to ensure it is a good fit for their needs … this represents the definition of a genuine student and should be applauded, not banned.”

The news comes amid turbulent changes for Australia’s higher education sector, where enrolment caps on international students are expected to be calculated over the next three months.  

Other changes to temporary graduate visas including shorter post-study work rights, reduced age limits from 50 to 35 years old for some visas and increased language requirements that came into effect in March 2024.  

“Together, these changes will continue to reduce net overseas migration, with the Government on-track to halve net overseas migration by next financial year,” the announcement said.