Australia to Crack Down on Student Visas to Fix ‘Broken’ Migration System
Published on December 11, 2023
The Australian government will target student visa holders who prolong their stay in Australia without a clear pathway to permanent residency amid a migration shake-up. This will spell the end of settings that drive long-term temporary stays, also known as permanent temporariness, which is one of the main problems with the Australian migration system, according to Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil. It is one the measures (pdf) introduced by the government to reduce migration to near pre-pandemic levels. Government data showed that there were 2.2 million temporary migrants in 2023 (excluding visitors and transit visas), up from 700,000 in 2000. Many of those people have stayed in Australia for over five years....