Australia to limit foreign student enrolments in migration crackdown
- In Reports
- 12:44 PM, Aug 27, 2024
- Myind Staff
On Tuesday, Australia announced it would cap the number of new international student enrolments at 270,000 for 2025. This move aims to address record migration levels that have led to a surge in home rental prices.
The decision follows a series of actions since last year to end COVID-era concessions for foreign students and workers in Australia. These concessions had previously helped businesses recruit local staff while strict border controls prevented the entry of overseas workers.
"There's about 10% more international students in our universities today than before the pandemic, and about 50% more in our private vocational and training providers," Education Minister Jason Clare told a press conference.
New international student enrolments will be capped at 145,000 for universities, roughly matching 2023 levels, and 95,000 for practical and skills-based courses. Clare mentioned that the government will provide universities with details on their specific enrolment caps.
Universities Australia said the government move would "apply a handbrake" to the sector.
"We acknowledge the government's right to control migration numbers, but this should not be done at the expense of any one sector, particularly one as economically important as education," Universities Australia Chair Professor David Lloyd said in a statement.
International education, Australia's fourth-largest export after iron ore, gas, and coal, contributed A$36.4 billion ($24.7 billion) to the economy in the 2022-2023 financial year.
Polls have indicated that voters are worried about the large influx of foreign students and workers putting added pressure on the housing market, making immigration a key issue in the upcoming election less than a year away.
Net immigration reached a record high of 548,800 in the year to September 30, 2023, a 60% increase compared to the 518,000 recorded for the year ending June 2023. This surge was primarily driven by students from India, China, and the Philippines.
To address the surge in migration, the government last month more than doubled the visa fee for foreign students and committed to closing loopholes in regulations that permitted the continuous extension of their stay.
Image source: Reuters
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