Australians are leaving hubs like Sydney and Melbourne for other parts of the country amid a flush in immigration levels under Labor, according to official data. In the year 2024-2025, more than 33,000 residents left Sydney while 8,600 abandoned Melbourne. Moreover, Adelaide, Hobart, Darwin and Canberra are also experiencing net negative internal migration, revealed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in March 2026. However, the entire country has marked an elevation in net overseas migration. In Sydney it was 78,000, in Melbourne it was 81,000 and in Adelaide it was 18,000, during the same period. Brisbane’s population grew by 34,000 and 11,000 from internal migration while Perth experienced 37,000 and 8,000 respectively. In Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, births were also heavily outnumbered by immigrants. This rapid population growth has resulted in rising rents and house prices along with increased pressure on infrastructure and services. For native Australians, the negative internal migration is not welcome news as the cause of it lies in the overpopulation of the country’s financial capitals by immigrants. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), numerous netizens expressed disappointment in residents having to move out of their native cities. “Aussies shouldn’t have to flee because of immigration. The demographics are being affected far too much,” wrote one user. “There’s nowhere left to run really” added another. “I got the train to Bendigo from Southern Cross on Saturday. It was literally at 225% capacity. Literally no where to stand, let alone sit. Incomprehensible,” shared one. “Dont worry they’ve starting flooding to larger country towns to. Buying up everything with finance through India!” added one user.As of mid-2025, over 916,000 Indian-origin people were living in Australia. They form the second-largest migrant group in the country, followed by the British. Recently, the country’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) revised the evidence requirement for Indian student applications under the Simplified Student Visa Framework (SSVF) moving them from Evidence Level 2 to Evidence Level 3. This means Indian applicants will be required to provide more detailed financial records and other documents to prove that their primary purpose is study. While the move is aimed at checking immigration compliance it does raise questions over the sole focus on Indians.
