Visa slowdown for backpackers amid migration backlash
Labor plans stricter visa and asylum rules after 54% of voters said its immigration management is unplanned or unmanaged, a Resolve poll found.
- On Sunday, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed the government is processing working holiday visa applications 'more slowly than they were previously,' following a pause affecting 24 countries amid pressure to reduce net migration.
- The shift follows widespread voter criticism, with 57 per cent of Australians saying immigration is too high, up 8 per cent since September 2025, according to the latest Resolve Political Monitor survey conducted August 9 to 15.
- Critics including Canavan and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson argue backpackers are not responsible for housing shortages; Hanson called the international student system a 'scam' providing a 'backdoor to Australia.'
- Burke delayed a National Press Club appearance on immigration policy, stating 'we're talking about a cabinet process' on Sunday when pressed about timeline for announcing changes.
- Labor targets net overseas migration of 225,000 annually over three years, though 54 per cent of voters condemned the government's handling of immigration as an 'unplanned and unmanaged way.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Visa Slowdown for Backpackers Amid Calls to Slash Migration
The processing of backpacker visas has been slowed down as Labor confronts a One Nation revival fuelled by growing calls to reduce immigration numbers. Immigration Minister Tony Burke confirmed on Aug. 16 that working holiday visas were still being processed, but they were being handled “more slowly than they were previously.” He did not provide further information about the reason for the slowdown but pointed to a Pacific workers’ scheme as the…
Labor’s border chaos now threatens to gut regional Australia: Littleproud
The Hon. David Littleproud, Shadow Minister for Tourism, Media Release, 15 August 2026 Shadow Minister for Tourism David Littleproud says the Albanese Government’s quiet decision to pause working holidaymaker visa applications from 24 countries is proof it has lost control of the migration system, and is now scrambling to catch up at the expense of regional Australia. Photo: Michael Major, Dreamstime Mr Littleproud said the Government had let n…
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