Australia’s conservative Liberal-National Coalition has proposed slashing temporary visas by 650,000 over four years and capping net overseas migration at 100,000 annually for two years. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor framed the package as the largest immigration reduction in the nation’s history, designed to relieve mounting strain on housing markets, roads, schools, and local infrastructure.
The sweeping policy shift arrives as mainstream political parties face intense electoral pressure from the far-right, anti-immigration One Nation party. Recent public opinion surveys show One Nation outpolling the Coalition while pledging even steeper curbs, promising to cut temporary migration by 750,000 over three years.
Reuters reported that Taylor unveiled the proposals during a Tuesday press conference in Sydney. “What we are proposing today is the biggest cut to immigration in the history of this country,” Taylor told reporters, emphasizing that the measures prioritize national interests and domestic residents.
Under the Coalition’s framework, annual net overseas migration would drop to 100,000 in both the first and second years before rising slightly to 160,000 by year four. This trajectory sits well below current levels, with net overseas migration having stood at 306,000 in the year leading up to June 30, 2025.
Targeting Students, Humanitarian Intakes, and Temporary Visas
The Coalition’s blueprint introduces aggressive targets across several visa categories. Humanitarian visa allocations would be cut in half, dropping down to 10,000 places. International student enrollments face a strict cap of 240,000, while the existing temporary graduate visa program—which permits students to live, study, and work in Australia after finishing their degrees—would be abolished entirely.
At the same time, the opposition aims to restructure the workforce pipeline by increasing temporary skilled visas by 100,000. Taylor stressed that this adjustment targets specific labor shortages, particularly by clearing a backlog of visa applications for construction workers.
“We’ve also seen under Labor a shift away from skilled migration to mass migration. We will reverse that shift,” Taylor stated.
The proposed cuts push past the targets set by the center-left Labor government, which announced plans last month to lower annual net migration to 225,000 by 2028.
| Migration Proposal / Policy | Target / Reduction Scale | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal-National Coalition Net Migration | 100,000 per year (Years 1–2), rising to 160,000 (Year 4) | Over 4 years |
| Liberal-National Temporary Visas | Cut by 650,000 total | Over 4 years |
| Labor Government Target | 225,000 annual net migration | By 2028 |
| Humanitarian Visas (Coalition Plan) | Reduced to 10,000 places (50% cut) | Not specified |
| International Student Cap (Coalition Plan) | Capped at 240,000 enrollments | Not specified |
Post-Pandemic Arrival Surge Fuels Border Debate
Australia experienced a sharp surge in arrivals after lifting pandemic-era border closures that had isolated the country for nearly two years. That influx was powered primarily by international students, working holiday backpackers, and temporary foreign workers.
Australia’s next general election is not scheduled until 2028, giving both major political blocks ample runway to debate the long-term economic consequences of tightening national borders.
