The Coalition will crack down on visa holders who remain in Australia after exhausting all avenues for appeal, under proposed new migration policy announced by Opposition leader Angus Taylor.
“Immigration numbers are too high,” said Taylor in an address to the Menzies Research Centre, outlining a plan to “bring immigration numbers down to a sustainable level”.
The comments come as recent data points to a softening in key international education indicators, including declines in student commencements across several sectors.
The Coalition’s Australian Values Migration Plan is framed around three key pillars, which Taylor argues will lift immigration standards:
- Putting Australian values first
- Shutting the door to people who abuse the system
- Showing a red light to radicals
Taken together, the measures point to a more restrictive and enforcement-driven migration framework.
A key measure to target overstayers is the proposed introduction of a Safe Country List. Countries on this list will be deemed generally free from persecution, meaning protection visa applications from their citizens would be refused and deportations fast-tracked. A Joint Agency Taskforce would also be established to identify and remove unlawful non-citizens.
Students who overstay were the only specific reference to the international education cohort in Taylor’s speech. However, several broader elements of the policy are likely to affect student visa applicants and current student visa holders.
All visa applicants are currently required to sign the Australian Values Statement. Under the Coalition’s proposal, this would become a legally binding and enforceable visa condition.
“For an immigration program to work in the national interest it must discriminate based on values,” Taylor said.
The Coalition has also proposed adopting a United States–style approach to visa vetting, requiring applicants to provide access to their social media accounts. This would be overseen by a new Enhanced Screening Coordination Centre within the Department of Home Affairs.
Further measures are expected, with the Coalition indicating additional elements of the plan will be announced “in due course”.
While students were only briefly referenced, the direction of policy signals a tighter overall migration environment, with likely flow-on effects for international education.
