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The Indian yoga teacher row in Australia is a highly politicised debate surrounding the country’s immigration policies and visa queues
The row began when a federal agency, Jobs and Skills Australia, listed “yoga teacher” as a skill in demand. (AI generated for representation)
Why are Indian yoga teachers part of Australia’s political debate? On September 21, a major policy speech by Australian Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Tony Burke brought the issue back in focus.
Here’s all you need to know.
The “yoga teacher row” in Australia is a highly politicised debate surrounding the country’s immigration policies and visa queues. The Coalition opposition has repeatedly attacked the Labor government, claiming that it is prioritising bringing in foreign yoga teachers and martial arts instructors over much-needed construction workers (tradies) amidst a national housing crisis.
WHAT SPARKED THE ROW
The row began when a federal agency, Jobs and Skills Australia, listed “yoga teacher” as a skill in demand. This classification was a legacy item tied to Australia’s free trade agreement with Indiawhich allows a set number of traditional instructors and chefs to apply for temporary pathways.
Shadow ministers and opposition MPs leveraged this listing to claim that the government preferred “yoga teachers to builders” and that the visa queue favored wellness instructors over bricklayers, painters, and tilers.
Independent fact-checkers and government data revealed the claims to be heavily exaggerated. Department of Home Affairs data showed that while thousands of construction workers have been granted visas, only a single-digit number of yoga instructors (as few as four) had actually entered under the skilled migration program during the contested period.
WHAT BURKE SAID
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke officially addressed the National Press Club to put the claims to bed, labeling the ongoing political refrain as “absurd” and “silly”, say reports
Burke fiercely pushed back against ongoing political attacks from the Coalition opposition— particularly Shadow Housing Minister Andrew Bragg — who claimed Australia was prioritising foreign yoga instructors over tradies during a housing crisis. Burke declared the claim completely false, stating: “In the life of this government, the number of yoga teachers we have brought in is zero,” while pointing out they had actually tripled the intake of construction workers to nearly 15,000.
The Australia–India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA), signed under the previous Coalition government in April 2022, allows a temporary, controlled path for up to 1,800 Indian traditional chefs and yoga instructors annually — a fact Burke used to deflect blame back onto his political opponents.
Under the new rules, Australia is restricting temporary visa-hopping and banning most international students and graduates from bringing family members to the country.
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September 22, 2026, 2:30 PM IST
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