Immigration crackdown puts Australia's wheat harvest at risk, industry groups say

New rules raise working holiday visa processing time to three months from a few days One in seven farm jobs is filled by backpacker visa holders, National Farmers' Federation says Net overseas migration falls to 306,000 in year to June 30, 2025 from 556,000 in year to September 30, 2023 By Peter Hobson CANBERRA, Sept 18 (Reuters) — A crackdown on immigration could cause labour shortages across the agricultural sector and threaten the upcoming wheat harvest, Australian farm groups said, joining a slew of business groups warning that tighter migration rules could hit the economy. Australia's centre-left Labor government on Thursday announced a raft of measures to reduce annual immigration by tens of thousands of people. The new rules will include a ballot system that restricts the number of working holiday maker visa holders who can extend their stay into a second or third year. Also known as backpacker visas, these are used by farms and other rural businesses including the hospitality and tourism sectors. Processing time for these visas will increase to three months from what farm groups said was previously just a few days. Australia is the world's third-biggest exporter of wheat an