Life just got tougher for international students under new visa rules. Why is this group being targeted?

The Australian government has announced visa changes making it harder for international students to bring their families with them while they study.

There are also new rules designed to stop students from cycling through courses just to prolong their stay in Australia.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has framed these changes as part of a broader, “orderly” and “fair” approach to lowering net overseas migration.

But they also continue a years-long push by the federal government to lower international student numbers.

What has been announced? And what is happening with international student numbers more broadly? What did Tony Burke say? On Thursday, Burke told the National Press Club most international students will have to come alone to Australia .

There will be some exceptions , including for people from Pacific and ASEAN countries and PhD students.

Last year, more than 45,000 visas were granted to family members of an international student.

Burke also flagged the government would clamp down on “visa hopping” by international students.

Students will need to prove they are progressing to a course at a higher level to prolong their student visa.

As Burke explained: One of the classic areas of visa hopping is people finish a course, hop to the next course, hop to the next.

These changes are part of the federal government’s wider bid to bring down net overseas migration from about 290,000 to 225,000 in 2027-28 .

The peak body, Universities Australia, described the latest move by the government as “worrying”.

Chief executive Luke Sheehy explained students often bring family members to Australia if they are doing research degrees “because they can be here for up to three or four years while they do that”.

What has been happening? Over the past three years , the government has been trying to lower the number of international students in Australia.