The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The latest visa data confirms what scenes at Paro International Airport have already suggested; the so-called “Australia rush” is far from over. In just the first six months of FY 2025–26, 5,916 Bhutanese were granted Australian visas, nearly matching the total for the entire previous financial year. If the current pace continues, close to 10,000 Bhutanese could leave for Australia by June 2026.
This is no longer a temporary surge. It is a structural shift.
What is particularly significant is not only the number of young people departing, but the growing trend of those already in Australia extending their stay. Of the 5,916 visas granted in six months, 3,381 were issued to applicants already inside Australia.
Many have completed studies, moved onto Temporary Resident visas, and are now enrolling in successive courses to remain legally. They also briefly exit to nearby destinations to comply with visa requirements before reapplying.
All of this falls within Australian law. Migration consultancies advise within legal frameworks. Students and families are making rational choices in pursuit of economic stability and opportunity.
However, the implications for Bhutan are profound.
The outflow now includes not just students but dependents which 3,176 in the six-month period including hundreds of children. Entire young families are relocating. This signals intent not merely to study, but to settle for the foreseeable future.
Historically, Bhutanese students who left under scholarship programmes returned home. Today’s migration is different. It is privately financed, market-driven, and shaped by global labour demand. Expecting a large-scale return in the near term may not be realistic.
Yet it would be simplistic to frame this purely as a loss. Remittances strengthen household incomes. Exposure to global education and work environments builds skills. The diaspora, if engaged strategically, can become an economic bridge rather than a permanent drain.
The real question is whether Bhutan can create conditions compelling enough for return.
Economic reforms are underway, but reform takes time. Meanwhile, migration decisions are immediate and personal. Individuals act on present realities, not future promises.
The Australia rush should therefore not be treated with complacency. It is a signal about opportunity gaps at home and ambition among Bhutan’s youth.
The response must be equally ambitious.
“We’ll get out of the crisis. We’ve already packed our suitcases.”
Ljupka Cvetanova