Australia announces a package of migration reforms: student visas to restrict secondary applicants, visitor visas to carry a "no further stay" condition

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced at the National Press Club that most student visas and the 485 graduate visa will restrict the addition of spouses and children (with exceptions for Pacific and ASEAN nationals and doctoral programmes); future visitor visas will generally carry a No Further Stay condition; a ballot will be introduced for the second and third working-holiday years (quota expected at 45,000 / 5,000); priority processing for skilled migration will be extended to health, construction, education, law enforcement, defence, resources, agriculture and fisheries; and a new points system is planned under which housing and construction trade qualifications can earn points comparable to a university degree.

Families already in Australia will not be split up; students planning to bring dependants must re-assess. The long-standing route of "enter on a 600 visa then switch onshore to a partner visa" will be blocked. Effective dates, applicable categories and transitional arrangements still await formal Home Affairs documentation — do not judge individual cases from news headlines alone.

Australian Department of Home Affairs / Migration Institute of Australia Notice 15 (2026-09-17) (Note on scope: Reform direction announced; implementing rules pending official release), verified by us on 2026-09-20.