Australia is set to stop international students from bringing their partners and children with them while they study, as the government moves to tighten temporary migration rules and reduce the country’s net overseas migration.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke is expected to announce the changes in a speech at the National Press Club on Thursday, reported Reuters. The government wants to bring net overseas migration down to 225,000 a year by 2028, from around 300,000 currently.
The planned changes will also make it harder for temporary migrants to switch between visa categories or extend their stay in Australia. The government is looking to reduce the number of temporary visa holders, ensure migrants leave when their visas expire and limit what has been described as 'visa hopping'.
International students are currently allowed to bring eligible family members to Australia. Partners of students can also work, although the number of hours they are allowed to work depends on the student's course. Dependent children under 18 can also accompany students.
Under the proposed overhaul, students would effectively lose the ability to bring their partners and children to Australia while they study. The restriction is expected to apply even as the government keeps the overall international student intake largely unchanged.
The move is aimed at reducing the number of people entering Australia as secondary migrants attached to temporary visa holders, rather than directly cutting the number of international students.
The proposed restrictions would represent a significant change to Australia's current student visa system, particularly for students pursuing longer courses who would otherwise want to live in the country with their families.
Australia's migration numbers surged after the country reopened its borders following nearly two years of Covid-19 restrictions. The increase was driven largely by international students, temporary skilled workers and other temporary migrants.
Net overseas migration has since fallen sharply. Official Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that net overseas migration stood at 306,000 in the 2024-25 financial year, down from 429,000 a year earlier. It had reached a financial-year high of 538,000 in 2022-23.
The latest figures also show that temporary students were the largest group of migrant arrivals in 2024-25, accounting for 157,000 arrivals.
More recent population data showed net overseas migration at about 301,000 in the year to December 2025, down 8.9 per cent from the previous year.
Despite the decline, migration remains a major political issue, with the government facing pressure to address housing availability, infrastructure and the size of Australia's temporary migrant population.
The planned student-family restrictions form part of a wider effort to reduce the number of temporary visa holders in Australia.
According to ABC, the temporary visa population has risen to about three million. The government wants to make it harder for migrants to move between visa categories simply to extend their stay and plans to strengthen measures aimed at ensuring people leave Australia once their visas expire.
The government is pursuing much of the overhaul through changes to visa conditions and application processes rather than new legislation. Talks with the opposition Coalition over stronger legislative changes have not produced a clear path forward.
The changes come amid growing political pressure for much tougher immigration controls.
The One Nation party has proposed cutting temporary migration by 750,000 over three years and subsequently targeting net overseas migration of 130,000 a year. Its proposal goes considerably further than the government's planned changes.
The immigration debate has intensified as Australia grapples with the effects of rapid population growth following the pandemic. Critics of high migration have linked the increase to pressure on housing and infrastructure, while the international education industry remains an important contributor to the Australian economy.
For international students, the proposed changes could make Australia a less family-friendly destination, particularly for postgraduate students and others planning to spend several years in the country.
