Last updated: 15 September 2026
On 14 September 2026, One Nation announced a proposal to cut Australia's temporary migrant population by around 750,000 over three years, as part of what the party calls a "net-negative migration" reset. The groups potentially targeted include international students, Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa holders, and the families of temporary skilled migrants and students.
This is a political proposal, not a change to Australian migration law. One Nation does not hold government. This article explains, visa by visa, what One Nation has proposed, what the current Australian migration rules actually say, and what students, skilled migrants and their families should do while this debate continues.
Quick Answer: Is the 750,000 Migration Cut Already Law?
No. One Nation's proposed 750,000 migration cut is not currently Australian law.
One Nation's announcement is a policy proposal. It has not been adopted by the federal government, introduced as a bill, or reflected in any change to the Migration Act 1958 or Migration Regulations 1994. Labor and the Coalition have both publicly criticized the plan.
The government is currently targeting net overseas migration of 245,000 in 2026-27 and 225,000 thereafter, according to current reporting, figures that are separate from, and considerably higher than, One Nation's proposed long-term ceiling of 130,000.
For the rules that actually apply to your visa right now, the Department of Home Affairs is the official source, not the announcements of any single political party.
One Nation Proposal vs Current Australian Visa Rules
Area | One Nation proposal | Current position (at time of publication) |
Student migration | Reduce student visa population from around 590,000 to around 350,000; cap main grants near 100,000 a year | Current Student Visa (subclass 500) eligibility and grant processes continue unchanged |
Temporary Graduate visa | Reduce visa holder numbers from around 270,000 to around 40,000 | Current subclass 485 eligibility, streams and durations continue to apply |
Skilled migration | Primary skilled migration remains "demand-driven" and uncapped under the proposal | Current Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa rules and employer sponsorship processes continue |
Family members of skilled migrants and students | New family/secondary visas cut to zero, with a possible "needs basis" exception | Current family and secondary visa eligibility applies; a separate legal question also exists over capping visas for family of Australian citizens, discussed below |
Visa hopping | Further restrictions on switching between temporary visa categories onshore | Existing onshore visa-condition restrictions, introduced before this proposal, already apply |
Net overseas migration | Proposed long-term ceiling of 130,000, after an initial net-negative three-year period | Government forecasts of 245,000 (2026-27) and 225,000 (2027-28) currently apply |
Visa overstayers | Three-month voluntary departure window, then enforcement and possible re-entry bans | Existing unlawful non-citizen and removal provisions under the Migration Act 1958 apply |
What Is Actually Changing Right Now?
- The One Nation proposal itself has not changed any current visa rule.
- Existing visa holders, including Student, Temporary Graduate and Skills in Demand visa holders, remain subject to their current visa conditions.
- Current Student Visa applications continue to be assessed under the rules currently in force.
- Current Temporary Graduate and skilled visa arrangements are not automatically cancelled or replaced.
- Any future policy change would need to go through the ordinary legislative and government process, including amendment of the Migration Regulations 1994 or the Migration Act 1958.
Latest Update: Comments on Family Visas for Australian Citizens
As of 15 September 2026, ABC News reported that One Nation MP David Farley said he is personally open to the party also cutting permanent family visas for partners and children of Australian citizens, not only the temporary skilled and student family visas covered in Monday's announcement. Mr Farley said the party had commissioned economic modelling and would release more detail within a fortnight, but did not specify a future permanent migration intake.
This is a developing political position, not a confirmed or detailed One Nation policy. Former Department of Immigration deputy secretary Abul Rizvi has argued that capping visas for partners and dependent children of Australian citizens and permanent residents would face a legal barrier under section 87 of the Migration Act 1958, and that Australia's current permanent family visa program is capped at 52,460 places a year. We will update this section if One Nation releases a formal, detailed policy.
What Could One Nation's Proposal Mean for International Students?
International students are the largest single group targeted by the proposal. One Nation says it would reduce the number of people in Australia on student visas from around 590,000 to around 350,000 over three years, and cap the main student visa grant stream at roughly 100,000 places a year.
Alongside this, the party has proposed a new, uncapped "high-value" postgraduate study visa of around 15,000 places a year, aimed at PhD candidates and students in science, engineering, medical research and frontier technology, with postgraduate arts and humanities degrees reportedly excluded. Family members would be able to apply to join high-value visa holders, but not standard student visa holders.
The proposal would also make it harder to obtain a student visa in courses One Nation considers "oversupplied," including accounting, IT and business, and would give enrollment priority to universities that provide dedicated student housing.
What Does This Mean for Students Applying Now?
None of this is currently Australian migration law. Anyone applying for a Student Visa today should assess their eligibility against the current requirements for the Australian Student Visa, not against a proposal that has not been legislated. It is sensible to monitor official Department of Home Affairs updates, but there is no current basis for delaying a genuine application.
What About Current Student Visa Holders?
A political proposal does not itself cancel an existing visa or automatically change its conditions.
- Does the proposal automatically cancel an existing Student Visa? No. A political proposal does not itself cancel an existing visa. Any cancellation must occur under the applicable provisions of Australian migration law.
- Do current visa conditions change automatically? A political proposal does not automatically change the conditions attached to an existing visa. Any change would need to occur through the applicable Australian migration law and administrative processes.
- Should students stop studying? There is no legal or factual basis to do so.
- Should students stop planning future visas, such as a Temporary Graduate visa? No. Applications continue to be assessed under the rules in force at the time of application.
What Could Happen to the Temporary Graduate Visa?
One Nation's proposal would reduce the number of Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa holders from around 270,000 to around 40,000. This describes a target under a proposed future policy, not a current cap.
It is important to separate three groups:
- Existing 485 visa holders, whose visas remain valid under their current conditions unless the law changes.
- Future applicants who currently qualify, who can continue to apply under the existing Migration Regulations.
- Current students planning to apply after graduation, whose eligibility will depend on the rules in force at the relevant time, not today's rules or an unlegislated proposal.
A proposed policy does not automatically cancel a visa that has already been granted. Readers who hold or are planning to apply for a Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485) should assess their position against the current eligibility criteria and revisit that assessment as their graduation date approaches.
What About Skilled Migrants and the 482/SID Visa?
Under One Nation's proposal, primary temporary skilled migration is reportedly intended to remain demand-driven and uncapped, with employer sponsorship continuing and trade occupations prioritized. The Australian Chamber of Commerce has opposed broader migration cuts, warning they would damage the economy, while the National Farmers Federation has defended the contribution of temporary and student workers to agriculture.
At the time of writing, the proposal has not changed current requirements for the Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa. What One Nation has targeted is not the primary visa holder, but the ability of that worker's partner and children to join them, covered next. For 482/SID workers and sponsoring employers, the practical relevance of this proposal, if adopted, sits less in the primary application and more in longer-term family reunification and PR timing. Current sponsorship, nomination and visa processes continue unchanged.
What Could It Mean for Partners and Children?
This is the area where One Nation's proposal is most specific, and where the practical stakes for families are highest.
One Nation has proposed reducing new family visas for temporary skilled workers and students to zero, with a possible "needs basis" exception that has not been fully defined. Existing family visas would reportedly remain valid until they expire but could not be renewed. The party estimates this, combined with other measures, could reduce total temporary skilled visa numbers, including family members, from around 263,000 to around 160,000 within three years.
It helps to be precise about terminology. A primary visa holder is the person whose skills, sponsorship or study underpins the application. A secondary visa holder is a family member, typically a partner or dependent child, included on that application. One Nation's proposal targets new secondary applicants for temporary skilled and student visas; it does not currently change the position of secondary visa holders who already hold a valid visa.
Separately, comments reported on 15 September 2026 raise the possibility of restrictions on permanent family visas for Australian citizens, a different category again, and one a former senior immigration official says would face a specific legal barrier (see "Latest Update" above).
Because all of this remains proposal rather than law, there is no need to make decisions out of fear. Families timing an application, such as a partner planning to join a 482/SID visa holder or a student, may want to understand their current eligibility under the Partner and Family Visa framework sooner rather than later, as good planning practice rather than because current rules have changed.
Could One Nation's Proposal Affect Australian PR Pathways?
A political proposal does not automatically remove an existing pathway to permanent residency. PR eligibility depends on the specific visa pathway and the rules in force at the time an application is made.
- Student → Graduate → Skilled pathways may be relevant to readers moving from a Student Visa to a Temporary Graduate visa and then into General Skilled Migration.
- Employer-sponsored pathways, such as a Subclass 186 transition, may be relevant to skilled migrants already working in Australia.
- Family and partner pathways have separate eligibility requirements again.
No pathway is guaranteed to remain available in its current form indefinitely, since migration settings do change over time. What matters today is that an unlegislated proposal has not itself changed eligibility for any current PR pathway. A registered migration agent can review your circumstances against the rules currently in force.
What Is Visa Hopping?
"Visa hopping" describes a temporary migrant repeatedly moving between visa categories while remaining in Australia, for example switching from a visitor visa to a student visa onshore, rather than departing and reapplying from outside the country.
Existing Australian restrictions: the government has already tightened onshore switching rules in recent years, including preventing visitor visa holders from applying for a student visa while in Australia. These restrictions already apply and were not introduced by One Nation.
Additional restrictions proposed by One Nation: the party has proposed going further, restricting onshore switching more broadly and generally requiring students to leave after completing their studies unless they qualify for the proposed high-value graduate pathway.
Not every current restriction on onshore visa changes originated with this proposal. Check your own visa grant notice or the Department of Home Affairs for the conditions that currently apply to you.
What About Visa Overstayers?
This is a different situation to holding a valid visa. An unlawful non-citizen is someone whose visa has expired or been cancelled and who has not been granted a further visa; a current visa holder remains lawfully in Australia so long as they comply with their conditions.
One Nation has proposed a three-month voluntary departure period for unlawful non-citizens before enforcement action, followed by deportation and re-entry consequences described in some reporting as a possible lifetime ban. Senator Hanson has referenced an estimate of around 77,000 unlawful non-citizens currently in Australia as part of the basis for this policy. This is a political estimate; it has not been verified against official Department of Home Affairs data in the sources reviewed for this article.
Will This Affect All Migrants?
No. One Nation has specifically targeted international students, Temporary Graduate visa holders, and the families of skilled migrants and students. The party has said it intends to retain current settings for the Working Holiday Maker program and the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, both used heavily by regional and agricultural employers.
Primary skilled migration sponsored by employers is also proposed to remain uncapped, meaning the practical impact of the proposal, if adopted, would fall unevenly across visa categories rather than across all migrants equally.
Visafast Perspective
When a migration proposal like this is announced, the first step is to separate the political proposal from the migration rules currently in force. Applicants should understand their existing visa conditions, the eligibility requirements for their intended next visa, and any confirmed government changes, before adjusting their plans. Most political migration proposals in Australia do not become law in the form first announced, and even where a policy is eventually adopted, transitional arrangements typically apply to people who already hold a visa or have an application on foot.
What Should Students and Migrants Do Now?
International students
- Check current Student Visa requirements before applying.
- Confirm your course and provider remain eligible under current settings.
- Review post-study work options against today's rules.
- Keep your visa conditions fully compliant.
- Follow Department of Home Affairs updates rather than media reporting alone.
Temporary Graduate visa applicants
- Check your current subclass 485 eligibility, including course length and qualification type.
- Review age and other requirements ahead of your graduation date.
- Check application timing carefully.
- Do not assume a proposed future rule is already in effect.
Skilled migrants
- Review your visa expiry date and sponsorship arrangements.
- Maintain compliance with sponsorship and employment conditions.
- Discuss future sponsorship plans with your employer.
- Review PR options early rather than waiting.
- Check current family visa options if planning to bring a partner or children to Australia.
Families
- Check current secondary visa eligibility for partners and dependent children.
- Prepare supporting documents in advance.
- Review the timing of any planned family visa application.
- Seek professional advice if circumstances are complex or time-sensitive.
If you are unsure how a proposed policy could affect your current visa or future migration plans, you can speak with a registered migration agent in Adelaide about your circumstances and the rules currently in force.
Get Clarity on Your Visa Options, From People Who Track This Daily
Headlines like "750,000 migration cut" are designed to grab attention, not to tell you what actually applies to your visa. The rules that govern your Student Visa, Temporary Graduate visa, Skills in Demand visa or family visa application are set out in the Migration Act 1958 and Migration Regulations 1994, and they have not changed because of this proposal.
Our MARA-registered migration agents at Visafast Migration Consultancy follow every migration announcement as it happens, then separate what is genuinely confirmed from what is still political noise. If you want a clear, current-rules assessment of where you stand, whether that is your Student Visa eligibility, your 485 timing, your 482/SID sponsorship, or your family visa options, we can walk through your specific circumstances with you and give you a straight answer based on the law as it stands today.
Book a Consultation With a Registered Migration Agent
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is One Nation's 750,000 migration cut now law?
No. It is a policy proposal announced on 14 September 2026. It has not been introduced as legislation and does not currently affect any visa.
2. Will current Student Visa holders be affected?
Not by the proposal itself. Current Student Visa holders remain subject to the conditions attached to their existing visa unless the Migration Regulations actually change.
3. Can I still apply for an Australian Student Visa?
Yes. Student Visa applications continue to be assessed under the current rules. There is no legal basis to delay a genuine application because of this proposal.
4. Will the Temporary Graduate visa be abolished?
No abolition has been proposed. One Nation has proposed reducing the number of Temporary Graduate visa holders over time, but the visa itself would continue to exist under the plan.
5. Will 482/SID visa holders be affected?
Primary temporary skilled visa holders are not currently affected. One Nation's proposal targets new family visas attached to skilled migrants, not the primary work visa itself, and the party says primary skilled migration would remain demand-driven under its plan.
6. Can temporary skilled migrants still bring their family?
Under current law, yes, subject to the existing eligibility rules. Under One Nation's proposal, new family visas for skilled migrants and students would be cut to zero, with a limited "needs basis" exception. This is not how the system currently operates.
7. What is the proposed 130,000 migration ceiling?
It is a long-term annual limit on net overseas migration that One Nation says it would apply after an initial three-year net-negative reset. It is not a current government target; the government's own current forecasts are 245,000 for 2026-27 and 225,000 for 2027-28.
9 Should I change my migration plans because of this proposal?
There is no need to change plans based solely on a proposal that has not been legislated. It is reasonable to monitor official updates and build some flexibility into long-term planning, particularly around family visa timing.
10. Will Working Holiday visas be affected?
One Nation has said it intends to retain current settings for the Working Holiday Maker program.
Sources
- ABC News, One Nation migration plan to cut students and migrant worker families, 14 September 2026.
- SBS News, Barnaby Joyce reveals more details on One Nation's plan to cut migration, 14 September 2026.
- News24, One Nation unveils net-negative migration plan, 14 September 2026 (party policy detail and figures as reported).
- Reported comments of Senator Pauline Hanson, 14 September 2026.
- ABC News, One Nation MP flags 'potential' slashing of visas for partners, children of Australian citizens, 15 September 2026.
- Migration Act 1958 (Cth), s 87, via the Federal Register of Legislation.
- Australian Government migration forecasts of 245,000 (2026-27) and 225,000 (2027-28) net overseas migration, as reported by SBS News and other outlets, 14-15 September 2026.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Overseas Migration, 2024-25 financial year.
- Department of Education, International student monthly summary and data tables, YTD May 2026.
Disclaimer: This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or migration advice. As every individual's circumstances are different, you should not rely solely on the information provided in this article when making immigration decisions.
Australian immigration laws and policies are subject to change. For advice tailored to your specific circumstances and to achieve the best possible outcome, we recommend booking a consultation with our Principal Registered Migration Agent.
While every effort has been made to ensure the information is accurate at the time of publication, Visafast Migration Consultancy accepts no liability for any decisions made based on this content.
