Australia seeks to change visa deal with UK after influx of Britons

Albanese says Britons in Australian hotspots are distorting the local labour market

By LineZotpaper

Published3 November 2026

Read Time2 min

Sources4 outlets

The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has told Andy Burnham he is looking at changing visa rules for British backpackers, after the Australian government said traveller numbers had more than doubled, from 40,000 two years ago to 87,000 last year, with the majority concentrated in Sydney and beachside suburbs.

Under the free trade agreement signed under Boris Johnson, Britons do not have to undertake the rural work that many other nationalities do as a condition of their visas. The same agreement also extended the maximum visa period to three years and the age limit to 35. The Australian government said the changes had led to British traveller numbers more than doubling from 40,000 two years ago to 87,000 last year, while fewer than 10,000 Australians came to the UK last year.

Albanese told the Australian parliament that the backpackers were staying in areas such as Bondi Beach and Coogee, “working in hospitality there”, placing pressure on the local workforce and distorting the labour market in those areas. Burnham confirmed the meeting but declined to comment on any potential changes, saying “we’ll see” when asked if the issue would be on the agenda. A Downing Street spokesperson said the leaders had discussed the visas at a bilateral meeting but stopped short of commitments. A readout from the meeting underlined the importance of ensuring opportunities for young people and discussed broader migration issues.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

The visa deal change could affect tens of thousands of British backpackers and Australian businesses reliant on their labour.
The concentration of visitors in a small number of suburbs is testing Australia's housing and labour markets.
The outcome will test the durability of the UK-Australia free trade agreement's migration terms.

Background

The Australia-UK free trade agreement, signed under Boris Johnson, removed a regional work requirement that had applied to many other nationalities, and extended the working holiday visa to three years and the age limit to 35. This led to a surge in British backpackers, with numbers rising from 40,000 two years ago to 87,000 last year, mostly concentrated in Sydney and surrounding coastal suburbs.

Key Perspectives

Australian government: Argues the influx is distorting local labour markets as backpackers stay in city and beachside suburbs rather than working in regional areas, and seeks to reimpose a regional work requirement. UK government: Discussed the visas with Australia but made no commitments, emphasizing the importance of strong partnerships and opportunities for young people in a readout.

What to Watch

Whether the UK agrees to renegotiate the working holiday visa conditions.
If Australia unilaterally changes the visa rules or seeks a reciprocal adjustment.
The impact on British backpacker numbers and on Australian regional labour shortages.

Sources

Australia seeks to change visa deal with UK after influx of Britons · The Guardian
Australia seeks to change visa deal with UK after influx of Britons · The Guardian
Australia seeks to change visa deal with UK after influx of Britons · The Guardian
Live: Albanese to seek tighter rules for British backpackers in meeting with UK PM · ABC News

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedAustralia is seeking to change its visa deal with the UK after an influx of Britons.UK news | The Guardian: “Australia seeks to change visa deal with UK after influx of Britons.”
SupportedAlbanese says Britons in Australian hotspots are distorting the local labour market.UK news | The Guardian: “That’s placing enormous pressure because it’s distorting the labour market in these areas as well,” he said.”
SupportedAlbanese told Burnham he was looking at changing rules for British backpackers in Australia.UK news | The Guardian: “The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has told Andy Burnham he is looking at changing rules for British backpackers in Australia”
SupportedThe Australian government said British traveller numbers more than doubled, from 40,000 two years ago to 87,000 last year.UK news | The Guardian: “The Australian government has said the changes have led to traveller numbers more than doubling, from 40,000 two years ago to 87,000 last year”
SupportedThe majority of those travellers were concentrated in Sydney and beachside suburbs.UK news | The Guardian: “the majority concentrated in Sydney and beachside suburbs.”
SupportedUnder the free trade agreement signed under Boris Johnson, Britons do not have to do the rural work required of many other nationalities as a visa condition.UK news | The Guardian: “under the free trade agreement signed under Boris Johnson, Britons do not have to undertake the rural work that many other nationalities do as a condition of their visas.”
SupportedThe agreement extended the maximum visa period to three years.UK news | The Guardian: “It also extended the maximum period for the visa to three years”
SupportedThe agreement extended the visa age limit to 35.UK news | The Guardian: “and the age limit to 35.”
SupportedFewer than 10,000 Australians came to the UK last year.UK news | The Guardian: “The easing of visa restrictions also applies to Australians coming to the UK but fewer than 10,000 came last year.”
SupportedAlbanese told parliament that backpackers were staying around Bondi Beach or Coogee and working in hospitality there, putting pressure on and distorting local labour markets.UK news | The Guardian: ““They are staying at Bondi Beach or Coogee or around particularly the capital cities and working in hospitality there. That’s placing enormous pressure because it’s distorting the labour market in these areas as well,” he said.”
SupportedBurnham confirmed he was meeting Albanese, declined to comment on potential changes and said “we’ll see” when asked if the issue would be on the agenda.UK news | The Guardian: “Burnham confirmed to reporters that he was meeting Albanese but declined to comment on any potential changes, saying “we’ll see” when asked if it would be on the agenda.”
SupportedA Downing Street spokesperson said the leaders discussed the visas at a bilateral meeting but made no commitments.UK news | The Guardian: “A Downing Street spokesperson said there had been discussions about the visas at a bilateral between the two leaders in Antigua at the summit but stopped short of making any commitments.”