New Bill to Allow Australia to Pause Entry of Some Temporary Visa Holders During Crises

The Albanese government has introduced legislation that will allow it to block travellers on temporary visas for six months during major events overseas that could leave them stranded in Australia.

Assistant Minister for Citizenship Julian Hill, who introduced the Bill to Parliament on March 10, said the proposal was driven by the situation in the Middle East.

“The current situation in the Middle East demonstrates how quickly circumstances can change that may impact whether those temporary visa holders could fulfil that temporary purpose in Australia, including whether they would leave Australia,” Hill told the House of Representatives.

Some people entering Australia hold temporary visas for short-term purposes like tourism, study, or work.

However, when major global events occur—such as wars or political instability—there is a greater possibility that visa holders may remain in Australia after their visas expire.

The legislation follows the government’s decision to grant five humanitarian visas to members of Iran’s women’s soccer team.

The players were scheduled to return home, but concerns about their safety were raised after the team refused to sing the national anthem before their match against South Korea last week.

How the Bill Would Work

Hill said the current framework requires authorities to assess and potentially cancel visas individually—an approach that can be impractical during major crises affecting thousands of visa holders.

Under the proposed Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Bill, the Home Affairs minister, with written agreement from the prime minister and foreign affairs minister, can issue an “arrival control determination.”

This allows specific classes of visa holders to be blocked if there’s a chance they could be stuck in the country or if their visa would not have been granted in the first place.

Exceptions and Safeguards

The restrictions will not apply to permanent visa holders and also some categories of temporary visa holders that include:

• The parent of a child under 18 living in Australia
• An immediate family member of an Australian citizen or permanent resident
• A holder of a refugee, temporary protection, or humanitarian visa
• Someone with a bridging visa linked to those humanitarian protections

The government would also be able to make case-by-case exemptions through a permitted travel certificate.

“This balances the need to act rapidly with flexibility to support certain individuals where appropriate, for example, in compelling or compassionate cases, or where it is in Australia’s foreign policy interest or the public interest to do so,” Hill said.

Any determination would need to be presented to parliament along with a statement explaining the reasons for the decision.

The government would also be required to provide regular reports on how often travel exemptions were granted.

Each determination can only remain in place for up to six months and cannot be extended without a new determination.

The restrictions apply to those outside Australia, not those already in the country.

Coalition Backs Bill in Principle

The Coalition has indicated it will support the legislation’s passage through the House of Representatives.

Shadow minister Ted O’Brien said the proposal contained reasonable steps to strengthen migration controls during international crises.

However, O’Brien said the opposition would review the proposal further during a Senate inquiry before finalising its position.

“But we do not see any major hurdles, and thus today, we will be supporting the passage of the bill through the House.”

Outside the Parliament, shadow home affairs minister, Jonathon Duniam, said there were no issues with the bill.

“I feel confident, of course, we’ve got an internal process to go through, and we’ll go through that, including the Senate inquiry, but it is a relatively straightforward piece of legislation,” he told reporters in a briefing.

Greens leader Larissa Waters has condemned the proposal, calling it a “new low.”

“What a new low from this Labor government, what an appalling act of cruelty, from backing and resourcing an illegal war, raining down bombs on civilians to then shutting the door on those same civilians who have the legal right to enter our country, you cannot get more morally bankrupt or hypocritical than that,” she was quoted by The Guardian.