As a part of an immigration curb, Australia will limit the variety of overseas students to 270,000 in 2025.
Under the policy, the federal government will cap the number of latest international students at universities at 145,000 and in vocational training at 95,000, Education Minister Jason Clare said on Tuesday. Nearly 600,000 student visas were issued within the 2023 financial 12 months, a big increase from previous years.
Universities have repeatedly warned that any measures to limit the variety of foreign students could harm the lucrative higher education sector.
“It’s an important part of our economy, there’s no doubt about that. That hasn’t changed,” Clare told reporters in Sydney after the announcement. “But the return of students has put the sector’s reputation under pressure.”
Overall, there shall be around 15 percent more students at universities and 20 percent fewer at vocational schools in 2025, said Clare. The government informed the person universities in writing of their upper limits on Tuesday.
“To suggest that this is somehow destroying international education is absolutely and fundamentally wrong,” said Clare. “It’s about making sure we set it up sustainably for the future. We want students to come here and study here.”
Universities Australia chairman David Lloyd said student caps would “slow down” the upper education sector..
Migration controls mustn’t be imposed “at the expense of a single sector, and especially not an economic sector as important as education,” Lloyd added. The restrictions would damage Australia’s research and development capabilities.
The Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia said in a press release that universities needed more information concerning the changes since the announcement “raises more questions than it answers”.
Australia is just the most recent country to crack down on international students over migration concerns. Canada, the Netherlands and the UK have all implemented or are considering measures targeting the university sector. In Australia, the federal government has been discussing plans to introduce restrictions on international students for months, a part of a broader initiative to curb high post-COVID migration numbers. The rise in migration has coincided with increasing voter concerns a couple of housing shortage, driving up rents and proving politically damaging for the centre-left Labor government.
Support for migration in Australia has fallen to its lowest level in five years, in response to a survey published by Essential on Tuesday, with 42 percent of respondents saying it might have a negative impact on the country.
International students contributed A$48 billion (US$32.5 billion) to the Australian economy in 2023, making it the country’s largest services export.
The Property Council of Australia’s Student Accommodation Council said the 270,000 student visa cap was “sustainable” and the federal government’s announcement would give student accommodation investors the boldness to proceed pouring money into the sector.
