Study in Australia: No more visa hopping by international students from July 1

NEW DELHI: In order to check visa hopping among international students, the Australian government has decided to tighten visa application rules. Starting July 1, visitor visa holders will no longer be able to apply for student visas while in Australia. The move is likely to impact thousands of Indians studying in the country.

The decision comes in the wake of the increasing prevalence of visitor-to-student pathway, with over 36,000 applications made between July 2023 and May 2024. The modifications are part of Australia's new migration reforms introduced in December 2023 and the announcement for implementing the next phase was made on June 12.

Australian student visa: Integrity, loopholes

The government considers this visitor-to-student pathway – where international students extend their stay in the country by transitioning from one temporary visa to another – a loophole in Australia’s visa integrity framework and aims to close it to uphold the effectiveness of the broader reform package.

“The migration system we inherited was completely broken, and our goal is to build a smaller, better planned, more strategic migration system that works for Australia,” said the minister for home affairs, Clare O’Neil.

The Albanese government had already taken steps to tackle this issue by imposing “no further stay” conditions on visitor visas and introducing the Genuine Student requirement in March. These measures have prevented thousands of students from repeatedly switching between student visas, unless there is credible course progression.

Anthony Albanese is the prime minister of Australia.

In addition to these efforts, the government has implemented other policies aimed at restoring integrity in the international student system. These include ending unrestricted work rights and discontinuing the former government’s COVID visa.

Study in Australia: Temporary graduate visa

Temporary graduate visa holders will no longer have the option to apply for student visas while in Australia. A recent report by the Grattan Institute titled “Graduates in Limbo” revealed that 32% of temporary graduate visa holders are returning to studies to extend their stay in Australia once their visa expires.

This policy change is likely to see graduates seek skilled employment opportunities and pursue pathways towards permanent residency or depart the country instead of remaining in a state of perpetual temporary residency.

“Our migration strategy outlines a clear plan to close the loopholes in international education, and this is the next step in delivering that plan,” added O’Neil, adding: “Our goal is to build a smaller, better planned, more strategic migration system that works for Australia.”

These adjustments align with several other modifications set to take effect for temporary graduate visa holders on July 1. The restrictions include notably shorter post-study work rights, a reduction in the age limit from 50 to 35 years, and English language proficiency requirements introduced in March.

The alterations aim to further diminish net overseas migration in line with the Australian government’s objective to halve it by the upcoming financial year.