New visa rules will make it harder for international students to bring family members or extend their stay through further study, as the government continues its push to reduce net overseas migration.
The Australian government has announced visa changes making it harder for international students to bring their families with them while they study. There are also new rules designed to stop students from cycling through courses just to prolong their stay in Australia.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has framed these changes as part of a broader, ‘orderly’ and ‘fair’ approach to lowering net overseas migration. But they also continue a years-long push by the federal government to lower international student numbers.
What has been announced? And what is happening with international student numbers more broadly?
What did Tony Burke say?
On Thursday, Burke told the National Press Club most international students will have to come alone to Australia. There will be some exceptions, including for people from Pacific and ASEAN countries and PhD students.
Last year, more than 45,000 visas were granted to family members of an international student.
Burke also flagged the government would clamp down on ‘visa hopping’ by international students. Students will need to prove they are progressing to a course at a higher level to prolong their student visa.
Other moves to reduce international students
To reduce net overseas migration, the number of residents leaving the country must be higher than the number of residents entering the country.
Many of the measures announced on Thursday give the government more ways to ensure student visa holders leave. In the meantime, there has been a reduction in the intake of new international students.
Our analysis of immigration data (shown in the chart below) shows the visa refusal rate for international students has increased significantly over the past six months. Student visa refusal rates are currently the highest they have ever been.
The government has said this is because it is more strictly applying a financial capacity test. These are the funds an international student must demonstrate when applying for a visa – to prove they can support themselves while in Australia.
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How does Labor’s plan compare to other proposals?
The complicated nature of migration means it can be difficult to make direct comparisons between different proposals.
However, this week, One Nation announced a much harsher plan. Its target of 350,000 international students would come close to halving the number in Australia, as part of its proposal to reduce the overall number of temporary migrants by 750,000.
Such a cut would have a huge impact on the university sector and beyond. The Australian Bureau of Statistics says international education is worth A$54.7 billion per year, of which $24.3 billion is from student fees.
International students also take a huge range of courses at different types of institutions, such as vocational colleges, private providers or English-language schools.
Universities can be the face of international students, but they only account for about half of the international student enrolments in Australia.
An international student could be your baker or your carer
Our analysis of tax data (shown in the chart below) shows international students play a significant role in certain occupations. These include jobs as hospitality workers and food trades workers (such as bakers and cooks).
About 10 per cent of carer and aides jobs, such as child carers and aged care workers, were held by current and graduate international students.
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Other countries are doing similar things, but …
Australia is following a global trend to tighten settings for international students.
Canada has also wound back its international student program. Rather than having an open-ended number of visas, there are planned ceilings. The United Kingdom also announced a restriction on family members applying for student visas in 2024.
What is missing from these announcements is a clearer picture of how international education fits within the wider migration program.
The debate has focused on reducing numbers, but the bigger question is what Australia wants international education to achieve. That means deciding which skills to prioritise and how education, migration and workforce planning can work together.
Republished from The Conversation
Peter Hurley
Peter Hurley is the Director of the Mitchell Institute, an education policy think tank based at Victoria University.
Melinda Hildebrandt
Melinda is a Policy Fellow at the Mitchell Institute at Victoria University, specialising in higher education policy and education systems reform.
Through her work at the Mitchell Institute, Melinda has contributed to national discussions on major education reforms and policy issues, including the Universities Accord, needs-based funding, international student caps, graduate outcomes, ATAR and post-school pathways, and full-service schools. She is a regular media commentator on education policy, higher education and system reform.