Australia to halve migrant intake, toughen student Visa rules

Australian government is set to halve the migration intake within two years to fix the country's "broken" immigration system. The annual intake will be cut to 250,000 roughly in line with pre-pandemic levels by June 2025.

Visa rules for international students and low-skilled workers will also be toughen under the new plan. Migration has climbed to record levels in Australia, adding pressure to housing and infrastructure woes. But there remains a shortage of skilled workers, and the country struggles to attract them.

Unveiling a new 10-year immigration strategy at a media briefing on Monday, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said the migration system had been left "in tatters" by the previous government.

However, a review earlier this year found the system was "badly broken" - unnecessarily complex, slow and inefficient - and in need of "major reform".

A record 510,000 people came to Australia in the year to June 2023, but the minister said her government would "bring numbers back under control" and reduce the annual migration intake by around 50%.

Among the new measures are tougher minimum English-language requirements for international students, and more scrutiny of those applying for a second visa - they must prove that any further study would advance their academic aspirations or their careers. There are some 650,000 foreign students in Australia, with many of them on their second visa, said officials.