Australia to cut migration to fix housing crisis, says minister

Australia plans to reduce immigration in an effort to address its housing crisis, according to Interior Minister Tony Burke. The government will curb "visa hopping," tighten rules on students and working holidaymakers, and crack down on overstayers. The move comes as the far-right One Nation party gains popularity in polls. Burke acknowledged that immigration is a strength for the country but accepted that housing pressures necessitate changes.

Home Affairs Minister Burke denied that his Labor party is tightening visa rules in response to One Nation's rise. He emphasized that the housing shortage is not caused by migrants. Net overseas migration peaked at 538,000 in 2022, but dropped to 292,100 in the year to March, a 47% decrease from the post-Covid peak. Business groups warned that such cuts could cause economic damage.

Australians want the government to "take control" of migration while remaining "decent about it," Burke said. The new rules include new curbs on family members joining students and making it harder for students to extend their stay. A backlog of UK working holiday visa applications would continue to be processed slowly. Working holidaymakers in rural areas would enter a ballot to stay for a second or third year, with only 5,000 visas available for the latter.

Family visitors would have "no further stay" conditions attached to their temporary visas. Migrants with construction and housing skills would be prioritized for visas. Australia will return to a policy where overstayers are given two weeks to leave or face detention and deportation. Additional 100 compliance officers and 250 more beds in immigration detention centers would show consequences for overstaying a visa.

However, Burke stressed that this is not the harsh operation seen in other countries like the United States. One in three of Australia's 27.6 million residents was born overseas, according to the latest census data.