According to local media reports, there may be a cap on the number of international students studying in Australia as part of a government plan to reduce migration.
The government may include these policies in its upcoming migration strategy, which is anticipated to be revealed within the next month, according to sources who spoke with The Daily Telegraph.
Additionally, they mentioned that the new policies would tax international students, a suggestion that was included in the Australian Universities Accord Interim report that was published earlier this year.
The education minister, Jason Clare, called the proposal for a levy on the income from international student fees “spiky” and all but three universities have rejected it. The industry’s initial response thus far has indicated that the government would not proceed with a levy; however, Canberra has not yet released an announcement.
The government plans to release its final Australian Universities Accord report in December along with the migration strategy. There is conjecture regarding the government’s intentions prior to the release of the two reports.
According to official statistics, 590,304 applications for student visas were filed in the year ending in June 2023, with China accounting for 95,561 applications and India for 109,676. 577,295 in total were awarded. As of June 30, the number of people in the nation with study visas was 568,753, an increase from 357,919 the previous year.
Australia’s local media has implied that the nation is thinking of restricting the amount of student visas it issues, emulating Canada.
Canadian industry participants have also stated that it would be challenging to administer or enforce a cap. Similar to Australia, they have emphasized that the lack of housing is primarily a problem in major cities rather than the entire nation.
During AIEC in Adelaide, federal MP for Bruce and co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of International Education in Australia, Julian Hill, stated, “It is ridiculous to blame international students for the country’s housing crisis.” Stakeholders have previously brought attention to the fact that local government planning rules can be restrictive for housing providers.
The implementation of a student tax may result in increased expenses for overseas learners, thereby reducing the affordability of Australian education. This might lead to a drop in the number of international students enrolled, which would be bad for colleges, universities, and the entire education industry.