Australia tightens its visas: what changes for tourists, students, trades and people left without papers

Besides the draw for the second and third Working Holiday, the same package brings visitor visas that can't be extended from inside the country, students without dependants, more points for construction trades and more enforcement. Here is what is confirmed, measure by measure.

Working Holiday Australia: the guide →Viajar a Australia →

1. Tourist visas: no longer a stepping stone

All visitor visas will carry the “No Further Stay” condition. The official statement justifies it like this: they should be used by genuine visitors and not as a route to extend a stay in Australia. According to coverage of the announcement, it applies to visas granted from now on, not to the ones you already hold.

What it means in practice: under the migration regulations, that condition (8503) says that once you have entered, you can't be granted another substantive visa while you are still in Australia, except a protection visa. A waiver request exists, but only for exceptional circumstances. In plain terms: if you enter as a tourist planning to switch to a student visa or another visa from inside the country, you will have to leave the country to apply for it.

• What to do: if you plan to study or work, apply for that visa from your own country. Don't enter as a tourist counting on changing it later.
• You can check the conditions of your current visa on VEVO, the official Home Affairs check.

2. Students and graduates: no dependants

The statement talks about “restricting secondary applicants on most student visas”. In the speech, minister Tony Burke was more direct: family members will no longer be able to be added to international student visas or graduate visas. To put it in perspective: according to figures cited in coverage of the announcement, 337,427 student visas were granted in 2024-25, and 45,991 of them were for accompanying family members.

What is known so far: families who are already in Australia can stay, and the government said it will respect what was agreed in the free trade agreements. The statement says “most”, so there will be exceptions, but they haven't been published yet.

• What to do: if you were planning to go and study with your partner or children as accompanying family, don't make any payments to an institution until the written rule is out and you know whether your case falls under an exception.

3. The end of “hopping from course to course”

The package targets “visa hopping”: chaining student visas by changing courses to stay in the country. According to the announcement, you will be able to move up a level (for example, from a bachelor's degree to a master's), but not go from course to course when the main aim is to stay. The coverage mentions mainly university graduates who enrol in vocational training (VET) courses.

4. Construction trades: more points for migration

In the points test that ranks candidates for skilled visas, qualifications in housing and construction trades will count for the same as a university degree. That is what the media covering the speech reported; the written statement doesn't give the details of the scoring.

What is in writing is that Ministerial Direction 119 is being updated to give processing priority in skilled migration to health, construction, education, law enforcement, defence, resources, agriculture, aquaculture and fishing.

5. More checks for people left without a visa

The statement promises to strengthen enforcement so that anyone without a valid visa leaves the country. In the speech, the minister gave the numbers: 100 more migration compliance officer positions and 250 more detention beds.

If you applied for another visa before yours expired, you generally stay on a bridging visa while it is decided. If you didn't apply for anything and your visa expired, you are in an irregular situation, and that is where these checks are aimed.

• What to do: note down the exact expiry date of your visa and check your situation in VEVO before that date, not after.

6. Dodgy migration agents in the spotlight

The government will go after migration agents who knowingly lodge applications without a sound basis. This was already under way: in August the assistant minister Julian Hill announced sanctions on “shopfront agents”.

Before paying someone to handle a visa application, check that they appear on the official register of migration agents (MARA). If they aren't there (and aren't a lawyer authorised in Australia), they can't charge you for migration advice.

7. Character and criminal record

Ministerial Direction 110 is being updated; it guides decisions to cancel or refuse visas on character grounds. According to the statement, it aims to better protect child victims of crime and victims of domestic and family violence, and to reflect the commitment to eradicating hate.

What has not been published yet

None of these measures has an entry-into-force date or published regulation text yet. When they come out, we'll update the article and let subscribers know by e-mail.

Remitly · Send money home in minutes, with low fees

When you work in another country, sooner or later you will want to send money home: to help your family, cover a bill or put your savings away. That is what I use Remitly for, and why I recommend it. It is very fast: it connects to any local account in your home country and the money arrives in minutes.

You can choose between different ways to send, depending on what suits you, and the fees are low. On top of that, my ambassador code AMB6M8 gets you USD 20 off your first transfer. It applies to transfers from the countries where Remitly operates, so check in the app whether the code works in yours before you send.