The Australian Department of Home Affairs publishes data via the Australian Bureau of Statistics on temporary visa holders in Australia. The most recent data comes from April 30, 2025. The highlights include:
- There were 2.84m visa holders in Australia as at the end of April (down slightly from the March record of 2.92m);
- Students (500) visa holders are sitting at 720,720 in Australia as at April 30 2025, which is a new all time record. The rest of 2025 will be interesting to see how new rules on CoEs and caps on international student numbers impacts the numbers, noting Student Visas granted is down significantly (see below);
- Working Holiday Makers (417 and 462 visas) remain strong at 220,622, down from the March record of 224,015 but up around 20% from the same time last year and up from a low of 23,000 in December 2021 in the depths of COVID border closures;
- The 485 Graduate Visa Program has continued to be well received, with an uplift from 89,000, 485 visa holders pre-COVID (December 2019) to 222,460 as at April 30 2025 (up around 10% on same time last year);
Visas and the Australian workforce
Australia’s unemployment rate sits at 4.1% in April and remains low, highlighting our economy’s reliance on temporary visa holder labour.
Visitor Visas In Australia
Visitor visas, for whom do not have work rights, were at 315,000 down from the seasonal peak of 629,000 as at New Year’s Eve 2025.
Working Holiday Visas Australia
Looking at 417 and 462 working holiday visas, which peaked at 141,000 as at December 31, 2019 and bottomed at 19,324 2 years later – we had 220,622 active working holiday visas in Australia as at 30 April 2025 (up from 170,437 on the same day in the previous year).
Assessing the quarterly trend, we can see a consistent upward trend, seemingly disproportionally driven by the changes to working holiday rules for UK citizens under the Free Trade Agreement with Brits making up close to 25% of all working holiday visas:
Student Visas
Student visas remain at record numbers with 720,720 in Australia as at April 30 2025.
2025 Student visa numbers remain uncertain given there have been a host of recent caps and changes to Student Visas which should see a slide from these peaks.
As you can see from the number of Student Visas granted, there was a massive influx post COVID in 2022-23, but visa grant numbers have since fallen.
Bridging Visas
After a dramatic decrease in the post election final quarter of 2022 (which saw a massive 44% drop in just 1 quarter as Home Affairs powered through the visa application backlog), Bridging Visas numbers have climbed back to 373,290 as at April 30 2025. This is up significantly on 2023, when there were just 176,965 active bridging visas as at July 31 that year.
Skilled employment visas
Then there’s the temporary resident, skilled employment visas, which continue to grow strongly to a new record high of 207,833 as at April 30. Skilled migration remains firmily on the current government’s agenda.
Where Australian Temporary Visa Numbers Have Landed
As you can see from the above and below, active temporary visa holder are still strong in Australia nearing all time highs. Working Holiday Makers are here in big numbers. Skilled visas are well and truly recovering. Bridging visas have again trended well up! Let’s see what comes of the student visa changes and the impacts over the next 12 months.
Data source data.gov.au
