International students who drop out of their courses would be barred from appealing to the Australian Review Tribunal and required to leave Australia before applying for further study under a new policy announced by One Nation.
The proposal, announced by One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson, is aimed at what the party describes as widespread abuse of student visas through course-hopping, bridging visas and protection visa applications.
In a media release issued this week, Hanson argued that some international students had “no intention to study” and were instead using the visa system to remain in Australia for work and economic opportunities.
The announcement also provides some insight into the sources that may be informing One Nation’s thinking on international education. Several of the statistics and themes highlighted in the media release were also examined in the January 2026 Menzies Research Centre report International Student Course-Hopping: University Complicity and Government Inaction.
The report highlighted the growth in student visa holders remaining in Australia on bridging visas while further applications and appeals were processed. Hanson’s media release cites an increase from around 13,000 to more than 107,000 former student visa holders on bridging visas over three years, a figure that featured prominently in the report.
The release also singled out Central Queensland University, questioning why it operates a Sydney campus and pointing to a reported 57.2 per cent first-year international student dropout rate in 2023.
“The system is being scammed, and universities addicted to foreign student money are part of the problem,” Hanson said.
The proposal is the latest example of international students being drawn into broader debates about migration, housing and population growth.
