Australia plans to bar international students from bringing spouses and children

Australia plans to bar international students from bringing spouses, partners and dependent children while studying, while also tightening rules for temporary migrants seeking to switch visas. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke is expected to outline the measures, including a target to reduce net overseas migration to 225,000 by 2028 from roughly 300,000 currently. The reforms follow a sharp rise in migration after borders reopened in 2022 and growing concerns about housing, infrastructure and pressure on public services. The government is facing increased political pressure from One Nation, which has proposed a substantially larger cut to temporary migration and a long-term net migration target of 130,000.