Sydney travelled, learned a trade and found love in Australia. It might have been a different story under Labor’s migration plan
News Source
•Sun, 11 Oct 2026 03:02:30 GMT
📰 What Happened
Sydney Schetter came to Australia from Canada in 2019 on a working holiday visa and stayed about seven years as a barista in Townsville, Queensland. She could extend her visa because she worked in regional Queensland during Covid-19 restrictions. She is now returning to Canada, with her Australian partner hoping to follow next year. Her story is used to question Labor's plan to cap second-year working holiday visa holders.
🔍 The Backstory
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke plans to limit how many backpackers can extend into a second year on their working holiday visa. Businesses in regional Queensland say they rely on working holiday makers to fill jobs, especially in hospitality and farming. Australia has faced political pressure to cut overall migration numbers in recent years, even as some areas struggle with worker shortages.
🎯 Why It Matters
Migration rules affect small towns that depend on seasonal and hospitality workers. Changes can also break up families and relationships built over years.
Sydney Schetter came to Australia from Canada in 2019 on a working holiday visa and stayed about seven years as a barista in Townsville, Queensland. She could extend her visa because she worked in regional Queensland during Covid-19 restrictions. She is now returning to Canada, with her Australian partner hoping to follow next year. Her story is used to question Labor's plan to cap second-year working holiday visa holders.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke plans to limit how many backpackers can extend into a second year on their working holiday visa. Businesses in regional Queensland say they rely on working holiday makers to fill jobs, especially in hospitality and farming. Australia has faced political pressure to cut overall migration numbers in recent years, even as some areas struggle with worker shortages.
Migration rules affect small towns that depend on seasonal and hospitality workers. Changes can also break up families and relationships built over years.