International students, 'visa hoppers' and backpackers targeted in Australia migration crackdown

International students, so-called "visa hoppers" and backpackers will be targeted under stricter rules announced by Australia on Thursday in a bid to curb immigration.

Foreign students will no longer be able to bring their families with them and those who want to extend their stay must choose a higher qualification.

Rules will also be stricter for working holiday visas - commonly used by backpackers and a crucial labour source for the agricultural sector - with a ballot system although these changes will not affect the UK.

The new rules were revealed by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke who said that while immigration was a "strength" of Australia, there needed to be a "high level of control".

For international student and graduate visas, Burke said: "We will no longer be adding to the stock of students automatically being able to bring family members over."

There would be exemptions for foreign students already in Australia as well as applicants from the Pacific and South East Asian countries, he said.

PhD students would also be able to bring their families as they were in different life circumstances to undergraduates, Burke said.

In a speech titled "The work of managing the migration program: who arrives, who stays, who leaves", Burke revealed a raft of changes as the government aims to bring net overseas migration to 225,000 people by 2028.