One Nation led by Pauline Hanson has just announced a proposal to drastically reform Australia’s immigration system, with the goal of reducing the number of temporary migrants by about 750,000 people within 3 years. The proposal was announced today. September 14, 2026 is causing great debate in Australia, especially in the fields of international education, health, elder care, construction and agriculture. The most notable point is that One Nation wants to bring Australia’s Net Overseas Migration (NOM) to negative levels in the first 3 years, meaning the number of people leaving Australia will be more than the number of people arriving.
After the “reset” period, this party proposes to maintain the NOM ceiling of about 130,000 people per year.
Note: This is currently only a policy proposal of One Nation, not a new regulation of the Australian Government and does not mean that the current visa will be cut immediately.
1. Visa Study Abroad Australia Proposes Sharp Reduction in Number
One of the groups most affected is Student Visa 500. One Nation wants to reduce the number of student visa holders from about 590,000 to about 350,000. The party also proposed limiting the number of primary student visas to about 100,000 people per year and tightening restrictions on bringing dependents to Australia. Another notable change is that new applications will mainly have to be submitted from outside Australia, to limit visa conversions and use the education system as a pathway to stay in Australia long term.
This may become a matter of concern for Vietnamese students who are planning to study in Australia in the coming years if a similar policy is introduced. program of a future government.
2. Graduate Visa 485: Only One Type of Post-Graduation Visa Left
One Nation Party also wants to significantly narrow the Temporary Graduate Visa 485 program. According to the proposal, the number of people in the graduate visa group could be reduced from about 270,000 to about 40,000 people. Instead of multiple current mechanisms, the One Nation Party proposes a single graduate visa with about 20,000 visas per year, with a duration of about 18 months and no extension.
Visa issuance will prioritize occupations where Australia really needs human resources. If implemented, this will be a huge change for international students who are viewing the roadmap: Study Abroad → Graduation → Visa 485 → Work → Skilled/immigrant visa.
3. Visa 482: Squeeze the job of bringing families to Australia
Temporary Skilled Visa 482 group is also in the reduction plan. The One Nation Party still wants Australian businesses to be able to recruit and sponsor skilled workers, but proposes to strongly limit the ability to bring relatives, spouses or children to Australia under the new Visa categories. The goal is to reduce the size of this group from about 263,000 to about 160,000 people.
This is a point that can significantly affect Vietnamese workers who are exploring the path to Australia under the sponsorship of an enterprise.
4. Bridging Visa: Limit Staying Waiting for Visa
The One Nation Party also targets the number of Bridging Visa holders. According to the proposal, the number of people in this group will be reduced from about 413,000 to about 300,000 people. One of the proposed directions is to limit the situation of repeatedly applying or converting domestic visas to prolong your stay in Australia. This shows that the One Nation Party wants to have tighter controls on the use of temporary visa schemes to maintain long-term residency status.
5. People In Australia Without Legal Visa Status Will Be Tightly Squeezed
One Nation Party proposes to give people in Australia without legal Visa status 3 months to leave Australia. Those who voluntarily leave may still be allowed to apply for a visa to return in the future. Conversely, those who continue to stay illegally will face immigration enforcement measures and long-term entry bans. This is part of a plan to strengthen control of visa status and limit overstay.
6. Australia Could Experience 3 Years of “Net-Negative Migration”
The most notable point in the plan is the goal of bringing NOM to negative levels in the first 3 years. Simply put: More people will leave Australia than will arrive. This is a very strong proposition. According to ABC, the One Nation Party believes that this policy needs to be implemented to meet people’s concerns about housing, infrastructure and public services. After this period, One Nation wants to maintain a NOM level of about 130,000 people/year. The party says the broader goal is to bring Australia’s temporary migration back closer to 2017 levels.
Why Does One Nation Want to Cut Migration?
One Nation argues that population growth is putting more pressure on:
- Housing and rents
- Hospital systems
- Infrastructure
- Transport
- Public services
- Australians’ access to housing
- Labor market
As argued by Pauline Hanson, reducing the number of temporary visa holders would help reduce pressure on these services and return the immigration system to a level that One Nation considers more sustainable.
But the Proposal Is Causing Great Controversy
Not all parties in Australia agree with this plan. Governments and business organizations warn that a sharp reduction in immigration could create labor shortages in industries that rely heavily on international workers. The areas that are warned to be affected include: Health – elderly care – construction – agriculture – international education.
universities also warned that a sharp reduction in the number of international students could have a significant impact on the operations of educational institutions. The Liberal Alliance also questioned the basis for the 750,000 figure and warned that taking NOM to negative levels could create a shock to the economy.
What do international students and people preparing to go to Australia need to understand?
The most important thing at this time is that One Nation’s proposal should not be interpreted as new Australian law. Currently, this is the proposed policy of a political party, in the context of the debate about the scale of Australia’s immigration heating up. However, for those who are preparing to: Study in Australia → Graduate → Work → Skilled Visa → Settlement, this is still a remarkable signal. If future immigration policies continue to move towards reducing the number of temporary visa holders, prioritizing understaffed occupations and limiting domestic visa transfers, the choice of field of study, level of training, occupation and visa strategy will become increasingly important.
In particular, you should not build a study abroad plan based solely on the thought: “After studying, you will stay in Australia.” Instead, it is necessary to consider human resource needs, occupations, visa conditions and immigration policies at the time of graduation.
The One Nation Party’s proposal to “reset” the immigration system is one of the strongest immigration tightening plans put forward in the current policy debate in Australia. If fully applied, this plan can directly impact Student Visa 500, Graduate Visa 485, Temporary Skilled Visa 482, Bridging Visa and many groups of people in Australia on temporary residence.
However, this is not an effective policy yet. Australia’s immigration policy may continue to change and major parties are also under pressure to come up with their own plans on NOM, international students and temporary immigration. Therefore, international students, workers and people preparing documents Australian visa should follow official information before changing their study or immigration plans.
Source: ABC News
