In a bid to reposition Australia’s student-migration settings, the Liberal–National Coalition on 5 March 2026 released draft policy that would raise permitted work hours for subclass 500 student-visa holders from 48 to 60 hours per fortnight while simultaneously capping annual student-visa grants at 240,000—around 15 % below current levels. Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan argues the twin measures will “restore integrity and fairness,” giving genuine students more scope to meet rising living costs while reducing what the Coalition calls “volume-driven enrolments”.
![Opposition Pushes 60-Hour Fortnightly Work Limit but Cuts Student Visa Quota by 15 %]()
Navigating frequent shifts like these can be tricky, but VisaHQ’s specialists track every update to Australia’s subclass 500 rules and related visas, offering step-by-step assistance with paperwork, timing and compliance. Students, employers and education providers can tap into their real-time expertise and digital tools at https://www.visahq.com/australia/ to keep applications smooth and fully compliant.
Business groups in hospitality, agribusiness and retail welcomed the extra labour flexibility, saying the present 48-hour ceiling is routinely breached during peak periods, exposing employers to fines. Universities and peak education bodies, however, warn the smaller quota could deepen an enrolment downturn that has already seen visa-grant rates tumble after new integrity rules last year. They fear the policy skews the program towards work rather than study and risks damaging Australia’s academic reputation. For global mobility and campus-recruitment teams the proposal, if adopted, would change workforce planning assumptions. More permissive work rights could make part-time roles easier to fill, but a tighter cap on student numbers may shrink the future pipeline for Graduate 485 and skilled-visa applicants. The debate is expected to dominate parliamentary discussions leading up to the winter sitting in July.
Navigating frequent shifts like these can be tricky, but VisaHQ’s specialists track every update to Australia’s subclass 500 rules and related visas, offering step-by-step assistance with paperwork, timing and compliance. Students, employers and education providers can tap into their real-time expertise and digital tools at https://www.visahq.com/australia/ to keep applications smooth and fully compliant.
Business groups in hospitality, agribusiness and retail welcomed the extra labour flexibility, saying the present 48-hour ceiling is routinely breached during peak periods, exposing employers to fines. Universities and peak education bodies, however, warn the smaller quota could deepen an enrolment downturn that has already seen visa-grant rates tumble after new integrity rules last year. They fear the policy skews the program towards work rather than study and risks damaging Australia’s academic reputation. For global mobility and campus-recruitment teams the proposal, if adopted, would change workforce planning assumptions. More permissive work rights could make part-time roles easier to fill, but a tighter cap on student numbers may shrink the future pipeline for Graduate 485 and skilled-visa applicants. The debate is expected to dominate parliamentary discussions leading up to the winter sitting in July.
