One Nation Wants to Sharply Cut Immigration to Australia

Australia's One Nation party has announced a plan to cut immigration by 750,000 places over three years. The plan targets international students and family members of skilled workers. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says too many people are moving to Australia and that it is hurting everyday Australians. She wants to bring immigration back to levels last seen in 2017, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the plan, the number of student visas would be cut from about 590,000 to 350,000. That means only about one-third of the current number of international students could come to Australia each year. Universities that provide housing for international students would be given priority over those that do not. One Nation says this change would stop universities from acting as what it calls 'visa factories.'

One Nation also wants to create a new visa type for 'high-value' students. This is similar to a visa idea from U.S. President Donald Trump, sometimes called a 'genius visa.' The new visa would be for students studying subjects like science, engineering, and medical research. Students with advanced degrees called PhDs would be at the top of the list.

Visas for the families of skilled migrants would be cut completely to zero. This means a skilled worker who moves to Australia for a job could not bring their family with them. Business groups have already criticized a similar idea from the Labor Party earlier this year. They say cutting family visas makes Australia less attractive to workers from other countries.

It would also become much harder for international students to stay and work in Australia after finishing their studies. Right now, about 270,000 international graduates can remain to work. One Nation wants to cut that number down to just 40,000. Students in fields that One Nation says are 'oversupplied,' like accounting, IT, and business, would have the hardest time getting visas.

Labor politician Murray Watt strongly disagreed with the plan. He said it would 'destroy regional economies' and could push Australia into a recession, which is when an economy shrinks and many people lose jobs. He argued that Australia already has serious shortages of workers in many industries. He warned that cutting immigration so sharply could make those problems much worse.

Senator Hanson pushed back against those concerns. She said a bigger economy means nothing if regular Australians cannot afford to buy a home or are getting poorer compared to the overall wealth of the country. 'A larger economic pie doesn't mean anything if individual Australians' slice of it is getting smaller,' she said. She believes reducing immigration will help improve living standards for people already in Australia.

One Nation's plan would allow skilled worker visas to continue, based on what employers need. Jobs in trades — like plumbing and electrical work — would be given priority. The party also said it would keep programs for seasonal workers, including the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme, which many rural communities depend on. However, skilled migrants still would not be able to bring their families.

The party also wants to pause migration from countries that the Australian government rates as 'do not travel' zones because of terrorism or extreme danger. It wants to stop government-funded legal help for people appealing visa decisions. One Nation also supports an eight-year wait before migrants can get citizenship or welfare benefits. The party has also said it wants Australia to leave the United Nations Refugee Convention, an international agreement that protects people fleeing danger.

Deputy Liberal leader Jane Hume said the One Nation plan was not backed up by proper research or modeling. She warned that a badly planned immigration policy could hurt every single Australian. 'If you get your migration program wrong, all Australians will pay a price,' she said. She said the plan could even cause a recession if it is carried out without more careful thought.