September 1, 2026 — 5:00amNew Delhi: NSW Premier Chris Minns believes his four-day trade trip to India will help reassure one of the state’s most significant trading partners that Australia remains a multicultural country accepting of overseas migrants, amid the increasingly fractious domestic debate on immigration.But, as he began the trade trip to New Delhi and Mumbai with NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, Minns also indicated he was open to cuts to overseas student numbers, saying it would be “challenging but not fatal” to the university sector.The visit, Minns’ first official overseas trip as premier, comes in the context of the surge in support for One Nation and its promises to make deep cuts to migration.The trip had included a stop in Kathmandu, which was cancelled after advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade following the deadly floods that have now claimed more than 800 lives and left thousands missing, including 43 Australians.Minns said on Monday that, while he had hoped to visit Nepal, he did not want to distract from the consulate’s work on the ground.“The truth is, if we went to Nepal right now, then we’d be putting unnecessary strain on our diplomatic staff in Kathmandu … we don’t want to get in their way,” he said.NSW Premier Chris Minns and his wife, Anna, visit the Asha community centre in Mayapuri in west Delhi.Michael McGowanMinns believes the visit to India is key to driving further investment into the state from a country that has no shortage of potential partners. For example, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a summit in Kyrgyzstan at the same time as Minns’ visit.But surrounding the visit are increasing calls from within Labor for cuts to overseas migration. The Albanese government’s upcoming overhaul of migration is expected to tighten rules for students and other temporary migrants, and it is an issue state premiers have been split on. Minns has said large migration numbers post-COVID create infrastructure problems and said Australia should not rely on migration to grow the economy.In Delhi, Minns attended the opening of a new Western Sydney University overseas campus, one of a string to have been opened by Australian higher education providers recently. The opening followed a visit to a community centre in Mayapuri, an impoverished neighbourhood in west Delhi, where Minns played cricket with a group of students. He hit one for six over the centre’s gates, while the high commissioner to India, Philip Green, hit someone with a hook shot at close quarters.In a speech at the new campus, Minns said NSW was “proud of our multicultural community, including 200,000 young Australians with Indian heritage”.While he dismissed suggestions his trip was a rebuff to One Nation’s rhetoric – two-way trade between NSW and India is worth $7 billion – he conceded he felt part of the trip was to reassure India that Australia was still committed to multiculturalism.“That is hopefully an unexpected but important byproduct of the trip,” he said.“This relationship is really important, but the truth of the matter is, this is the fastest growing major economy in the world. And whilst we’ve got complementary trading relationships, they’ve also got trading relationships with other countries.“And if we want to make sure that we are taking or growing the relationship to its best possible potential, then we should be using the 200,000 Indian Australians that we’ve got in NSW.”However, Minns indicated he was open to new limits on overseas student numbers.Standing alongside Western Sydney University’s vice chancellor George Williams, he said changes to overseas student numbers would be “challenging, but not fatal” to the sector.“And you know, big economies like Australia and NSW have to be able to look at the conditions as they see them and feel them within their economy,” he said.“Now, it’s not going to go to zero … But the Australian government’s also entitled to look at other externalities in our economy and make decisions that are appropriate at the time. That’s why we have a dynamic immigration target.”Williams said he had been disturbed by some of the debate about overseas student numbers and not enough of the discussion had centred on how much Australia “depends on migration for our prosperity”. “If you’re in aged care, there’s a good chance it’s a Nepalese international student who’s looking after his parents. If your blood’s being taken in western Sydney, a good chance it’s a Filipino international student who studied at Western Sydney University,” he said.“I’m disturbed by some of the debates. I’m disturbed about some of the limits that are being put in place.”Earlier on Monday, Minns heard from the human face of that debate, visiting Mayapuri, where shanty homes straddle a train line running through the city.The centre is run by the Asha group, an organisation that has similar venues across 102 neighbourhoods in Delhi. The group has a NSW branch which helps raise funds to provide university scholarships and living expenses for children from impoverished neighbourhoods to study overseas.Among the students who spoke to Minns was Sumit, who grew up in a nearby neighbourhood but has since completed a master’s in public policy at the University of Sydney and is now working for Macquarie Group in Delhi.“I was the first one from my family who went to a college or a university. Everyone is so proud. Like I still remember when I went to Australia, my family started calling everyone in the relatives … no one could believe it, because how could you believe it,” he said.Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.More:UniversityFor subscribersImmigrationOne NationIndiaNepalSydneyChris MinnsNew South WalesWestern Sydney UniversityDaniel MookheyFrom our partners