Liberal-National Coalition Proposes Historic Australian Immigration Cuts

The Liberal-National Coalition has proposed a major immigration overhaul aimed at reducing temporary visas by 650,000 over the next four years. The plan seeks to lower annual net overseas migration to 100,000 for the first two years, a target significantly more aggressive than the current Labor government's goal of 225,000 by 2028.

Specific measures in the proposal include limiting international student enrolments to 240,000, halving humanitarian visa places to 10,000, and abolishing the temporary graduate visa program. To balance these cuts, the Coalition proposes increasing temporary skilled visas by 100,000 and clearing visa backlogs specifically for construction workers.

The move follows rising public opposition to immigration linked to high living costs and housing shortages. The Coalition also faces political pressure from the far-right One Nation party, which has advocated for an even steeper reduction of 750,000 temporary migrants over three years.