Coalition vs Labor Migration Policy in 2026: What Each Has Announced

Net overseas migration targets

- Labor (17 September 2026): 245,000 in 2026-27 and 225,000 in 2027-28. The Budget forecasts are now described by the Minister as expected to be delivered. Source: media release and Home Affairs summary page.
- Coalition (6 October 2026): 100,000 in each of the first two years of a Coalition government, 130,000 in the third and 160,000 in the fourth. Reported by the ABC. Mr Taylor described it as "the biggest cut to immigration in this country's history".
- For reference, the ABS measured NOM at 292,100 for the year to March 2026. See our page on NOM targets for how NOM is measured.

The ABC reported that the Coalition has not released modelling of the economic impact and has promised costings closer to the 2028 federal election.

International students

Labor, in force from 2 October 2026 (Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 and two related instruments):

- Most new Student (500) applicants cannot include family members. Exempt groups include doctoral students, Defence and Foreign Affairs students, foreign government scholarship recipients, and students from Pacific and ASEAN countries.
- Most further Student visas must be lodged and granted outside Australia, with exemptions such as finishing the same course with the same provider within 12 months, doctoral students, and progression to a higher qualification level.
- Applications lodged before 2 October 2026 are assessed under the old rules.
- Announced only: a requirement for a new visa before changing provider (a "transfer stream" the education department's explanatory statement says is intended for mid-2027) and a student expression of interest system, which the Minister says needs legislation that has not been introduced.

Coalition (announced 6 October, per the ABC): cap international student commencements at 240,000, restrict most dependants from accompanying students, and tie each student visa to the institution the student enrolled with.

Both sides therefore propose limiting dependants for students, with different details. The student planning level for 2026 and 2027 under the current Government is 295,000 and the Minister said planning levels are unchanged.

Graduates (subclass 485)

Labor: the Minister said on 17 September that family members would no longer be allowed to be attached to graduate visas as well. That is announced, with no start date, instrument or exemptions published, and the Home Affairs pages for the 485 still allow family members as at 12 October 2026.

Coalition (per the ABC): Temporary Graduate visas would be scrapped except for some limited post-study pathways for PhD, health and education graduates and those studying at regional universities. Mr Taylor said aged care and healthcare workers and people in the regions could extend a graduate visa for a transition, and the ABC reported the Coalition expects about a quarter of graduate visa holders to move into the temporary skilled system.

Working holiday makers

Labor: second and third year working holiday visas to be allocated by ballot, with 45,000 places for the second year and 5,000 for the third (figures from the Minister's speech). The regional work requirement (88 days for the second year, six months for the third) is unchanged and would qualify a person for the ballot. Announced only: no ballot detail or instrument had been published as at 12 October 2026. Processing for most working holiday applications is being returned to about three months, which is administrative and in effect.

Coalition (per the ABC): scrap Labor's second and third year caps and raise fees instead, with exemptions for people who completed the required regional work.

Visitors, bridging visas and overstayers

Labor: a No Further Stay condition on visitor visas, so that visitor visas are not used as a way to extend a stay. The Minister said it applies to future visas, not people already in Australia. Announced, and as at 12 October 2026 we found no instrument and no change on the Home Affairs visitor visa pages. For overstayers: 100 more compliance officers and 250 more detention beds, using existing powers.

Coalition (per the ABC): cut bridging visas from about 414,000 to 20,000 by requiring temporary visa holders to leave Australia to apply for a new visa; any second or later temporary visa application would generally have to be lodged offshore; and, per the ABC on 12 October, reinstate intelligence functions in Home Affairs to target overstayers. We have not checked the 414,000 figure against Home Affairs statistics, so it is the ABC's report of the Coalition's number.

Skilled migration and trades

Labor:

- In force from 19 September 2026: Directions 121 and 122 set processing priority for skilled visas, putting primary applicants in construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, resources, law enforcement and defence occupations first. See our page on the Directions.
- Announced only: a points test redesign, including housing trades scored like a university qualification. No table or instrument as at 12 October 2026.
- The Minister said skilled workers' family entitlements are not being changed.

Coalition (per the ABC): about 60,000 more temporary skilled visa holders, 15,000 skilled project visas a year, talent and innovation places doubled to 7,000 through a new AUKUS and Five Eyes visa, and permanent applicants prioritised on age, income, English and skilled partners. The temporary skilled priority list would be changed to fast track construction and prioritise regional employer-sponsored migration.

Humanitarian and protection claims

Labor: the Minister said he wants to limit non-meritorious protection claims, and that this can only be done by legislation, which has not been introduced. Burke's figures were that applicants from countries where more than 85 per cent of applications fail make up about 80 per cent of the caseload. These are the Minister's figures and we have not verified them. A change to the migration agents' Code of Conduct, so agents who encourage non-meritorious claims can be sanctioned or deregistered, is announced with no instrument.

Coalition (per the ABC): halve the humanitarian intake to 10,000 a year and impose a 30-day limit for making an onshore asylum claim after arrival.

What each says about cost and effect

These are the parties' own claims and those of commentators reported by the ABC. They are not our findings.

- Mr Taylor said he was "confident" the plan would be budget neutral because higher-earning skilled migrants would offset cuts, citing average tax contributions of $7,000 to $14,000 for a student or graduate visa holder against more than $30,000 for a temporary skilled visa holder. He said the Coalition had worked with the Parliamentary Budget Office but did not release the advice.
- Critics quoted by the ABC, including business and university groups, said the plan would worsen skills shortages and hurt the economy. The ABC noted the Parliamentary Budget Office's medium-term outlook had modelled that sustained reductions in NOM would worsen the budget, and that economist Saul Eslake said without costings it was hard to judge neutrality, while also saying the focus on bridging visas was right.
- The Minister said the Coalition plan would reduce the skilled workers Australia needs in aged care, health and construction and that a large expansion of detention capacity would cost, in his words, "billions and billions of dollars, I suspect". He said that in the context of other parties' plans, "the lower levels will trash Australian services and trash the Australian economy".
- On aged care, Mr Taylor first said "some" aged care visa holders would be affected and later that there would be transition arrangements and exemptions for health and aged care workers.

What each needs to become law

Labor, in government, has used regulations, legislative instruments, Ministerial Directions and administrative practice. The student visa rules came into force by regulation and instrument on 2 October 2026. The processing priorities came by direction on 19 September 2026. The Minister said, however, that the expression of interest system and the protection claim reforms need legislation, and that Labor "at this stage did not have a likely pathway through the parliament for new laws" (as the ABC reported on 17 September). No bill for those had been introduced as reported to 2 October 2026, and the Parliament's bills register could not be read directly when this page was written.

The Coalition is in opposition. Its policy cannot take effect unless it wins government, and the next federal election is expected in 2028 according to the ABC. The sources we read do not say which parts of the plan would need amendments to the Migration Act and which could be done by regulation. We do not guess. We have found no Coalition bill.

What is not decided yet and what to watch

- Start dates and instruments for the announced-only Labor measures: the working holiday ballot, the points test, the 485 family change, the visitor visa condition, the transfer stream and the agents' Code.
- Any bill on the expression of interest system or protection claims, and how the Senate treats it.
- Coalition costings, promised closer to the 2028 election, and any modelling.
- Each party's detail on aged care, regional exemptions and transition arrangements.
- One Nation's plan, reported by the ABC as a negative NOM for three years then a ceiling of 130,000, which affects the Senate numbers.

This page will be updated as instruments or policies change. It is general information and does not tell you how any policy affects your own visa situation. A registered migration agent can do that.

What is the Coalition's net overseas migration target?

Reported by the ABC on 6 October 2026: 100,000 in each of the first two years of a Coalition government, 130,000 in the third and 160,000 in the fourth. Labor's targets are 245,000 for 2026-27 and 225,000 for 2027-28.

Is the Coalition's migration plan law?

No. It is an announcement by the Opposition. It would need a Coalition government to be elected and, depending on the measure, regulations or legislation. The sources we read do not specify which, and we found no bill.

Which of Labor's measures are already in force?

The student visa reforms from 2 October 2026 (offshore lodgement, limits on family members) and the skilled visa processing Directions 121 and 122 from 19 September 2026. Others, such as the working holiday ballot, are announced only.

Do both parties want to limit student dependants?

Both have announced restrictions. Labor's apply from 2 October 2026 to new Student visa applications with exemptions. The Coalition's plan would restrict most dependants, cap commencements at 240,000 and tie visas to institutions.

What happens to the 485 graduate visa under each plan?

Labor has announced that family members will no longer be attached to graduate visas, with no start date. The Coalition would scrap Temporary Graduate visas except for limited pathways, such as PhD, health and education graduates and regional universities.

Has the Coalition released costings?

Not as at 12 October 2026. It has said the plan is budget neutral and that it worked with the Parliamentary Budget Office, and has promised costings closer to the 2028 election, according to the ABC.

Which measures need new legislation under Labor?

The Minister says an expression of interest system for demand-driven visas and reforms to non-meritorious protection claims need legislation. No bill had been introduced as reported to 2 October 2026.