‘I can’t sleep at night’: international students forced to navigate the impact of Labor’s sudden visa changes
News Source
•Thu, 22 Oct 2026 14:00:34 GMT
📰 What Happened
Fatima Bonna, 27, came from Bangladesh to study in Adelaide. She learned her visa rules by heart. Then the student visa changes started this month. Her visa ends next September, four months before her teaching degree finishes. To get a new visa she must leave Australia to apply.
"I can't sleep at night," she said. She said she does not want to be blamed for the housing crisis. She is happy to go home later, but wants to finish her course first. Migration agent Gurpreet Dhawan said sending students offshore leaves them in limbo, with no clear wait time.
The new rules target "visa hopping". Most temporary visa holders must now apply from overseas. Partners and children are restricted on most student visas.
🔍 The Backstory
The government wants net migration to fall from about 300,000 a year to 225,000 by mid-2028. The changes began on 1 October. Students already in Australia had their plans upended overnight. Wina Satria, a PhD student from Indonesia, hoped to add her husband to her visa next year so he could help raise their son. New rules block adding family to a visa already granted.
PhD students and people from Pacific and ASEAN countries are exempt from some rules. Assistant minister Julian Hill said the government is not trying to split families already here. Universities say visa delays and refusals are hurting enrolments.
🎯 Why It Matters
Thousands of students pay full fees and fill jobs Australia needs. Sudden rule changes leave them unsure whether they can stay and finish.
Fatima Bonna, 27, came from Bangladesh to study in Adelaide. She learned her visa rules by heart. Then the student visa changes started this month. Her visa ends next September, four months before her teaching degree finishes. To get a new visa she must leave Australia to apply.
"I can't sleep at night," she said. She said she does not want to be blamed for the housing crisis. She is happy to go home later, but wants to finish her course first. Migration agent Gurpreet Dhawan said sending students offshore leaves them in limbo, with no clear wait time.
The new rules target "visa hopping". Most temporary visa holders must now apply from overseas. Partners and children are restricted on most student visas.
The government wants net migration to fall from about 300,000 a year to 225,000 by mid-2028. The changes began on 1 October. Students already in Australia had their plans upended overnight. Wina Satria, a PhD student from Indonesia, hoped to add her husband to her visa next year so he could help raise their son. New rules block adding family to a visa already granted.
PhD students and people from Pacific and ASEAN countries are exempt from some rules. Assistant minister Julian Hill said the government is not trying to split families already here. Universities say visa delays and refusals are hurting enrolments.
Thousands of students pay full fees and fill jobs Australia needs. Sudden rule changes leave them unsure whether they can stay and finish.