KINLEY KHANDU CHODEN Thimphu
Bhutanese students preparing to study in Australia are facing growing uncertainty following reports that the Australian government is considering further restrictions on international student visas.
The reported measures include possible limits on bringing family members as dependants, tighter controls on students changing courses after arriving in Australia and further restrictions on lodging student visa applications while already in the country.
While the measures have not yet been formally announced as legislation or regulations, the reports have left prospective students and families uncertain about whether to continue with their plans or wait for greater clarity.
For 24-year-old Pema Wangchuk, who has been preparing to study in Australia, the uncertainty surrounding possible policy changes has left him confused.
“I have already started looking at colleges and arranging my documents, but now I don’t know whether the rules will change before I apply,” he said.
He said continuing with the process could mean spending money and time on plans that may be affected, while waiting could mean missing an intake or an opportunity.
Recent Australian media reports indicate that the government is considering restrictions on which international students can bring partners and children as dependants, tighter rules around changing courses and additional limits on onshore student visa applications.
The measures remain under consideration, and their final details, exemptions and implementation dates have not been formally confirmed.
According to recent reports, Australia is considering limiting the ability of some international students to bring partners and children as dependants. Possible exceptions could apply to students undertaking postgraduate research programmes, government-sponsored students and students from Pacific countries and Timor-Leste.
At present, eligible Student visa holders may include family members in their visa applications, subject to Australia’s visa requirements.
For Leki Dema, the possibility of restrictions on dependants could directly affect her plans.
“My plan was based on going together with my spouse. If dependants are restricted, then the whole plan changes,” she said.
She added that studying overseas is not only an educational decision but also a major financial and family consideration.
She said uncertainty makes planning difficult, particularly when policy changes are being discussed but no confirmed details are available.
Another reported measure concerns students changing education pathways after arriving in Australia.
The government is reportedly considering restrictions aimed at preventing students from moving from higher education courses into the vocational education and training sector.
The proposal is linked to concerns about students moving between courses, where students enter Australia for one course and subsequently change their education pathway.
The reported measures could place greater restrictions on students who initially enrol in higher education programmes but later seek to move into vocational education and training.
For 27-year-old Dawa Choden, uncertainty over possible restrictions on changing courses has also raised concerns.
“Sometimes students realise after starting a programme that another course may be more suitable for their interests or career plans,” she said.
The uncertainty over whether policies could change during or after the application process has also created concern, she said, as applicants invest significant time and money in preparing their plans.
The Australian government has in recent years tightened rules governing the international education sector as part of wider migration reforms. However, the newly reported restrictions on movement between higher education and vocational education remain proposals, and the final details have not been formally announced.
Another major area of the proposed reforms concerns applications for Student visas from within Australia.
Australia has already taken steps to restrict certain onshore Student visa applications.
From July 1, 2024, holders of Temporary Graduate, Visitor and Maritime Crew visas, among other specified visa categories, became unable to apply for a student visa while in Australia. The Australian government said the measure was aimed at addressing “visa hopping” and the practice of extending stays through multiple visa applications.
The latest reports indicate that the government is considering further restrictions on onshore pathways, although details of which additional visa categories could be affected have not been formally confirmed.
The proposed measures come amid Australia’s broader efforts to reduce net overseas migration following a sharp increase after the reopening of international borders.
Australia’s net overseas migration recorded a net gain of 518,000 people in the 2022–23 financial year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The Australian government has since pursued measures aimed at reducing migration levels.
Government forecasts project net overseas migration at 295,000 in 2025–26, declining to 245,000 in 2026–27 and 225,000 in 2027–28.
The international student sector has been among the areas affected by Australia’s broader migration reforms.
The Australian government has also strengthened requirements for Student visa applicants, including the Genuine Student requirement, under which applicants are assessed on whether studying is the primary reason for applying for a student visa.
The proposed restrictions on dependants, course changes and further onshore applications would add to changes already made to Australia’s international student visa system.
For Bhutanese applicants, however, the immediate concern is that the latest measures remain under consideration while many have already begun preparing applications.
The applicants said that preparing to study overseas requires decisions involving education, finances and family arrangements, often months before a student intends to travel.
For now, the reported restrictions remain proposals, and existing visa rules continue to apply unless and until new measures are formally introduced.
The final scope of any changes, including exemptions, eligibility requirements and commencement dates, will depend on formal decisions by the Australian government.
Until then, Bhutanese students and families planning for Australia are closely monitoring developments while making decisions on applications, course choices and family arrangements amid uncertainty over what the future visa rules may look like.
