HYDERABAD: Australia has capped the enrolment international student at 270,000 for 2025, as part of the government’s efforts to deal with the record migration levels that have caused an increase in house rents.
The decision follows a series of initiatives implemented since last year to end the concessions sanctioned to foreign students and workers in Australia in the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic. These concessions though previously helped the local businesses recruit staff, strict border control measures prevented overseas workers from entering Australia.
“There is around 10% more international students in our universities than that before the COVID-19 pandemic and about 50% more in our private vocational and training providers,” media reports quoted Education Minister Jason Clare as saying.
He said the decision was taken as part of the efforts to create ‘a better and a fairer system’, setting it up on a more sustainable footing for the future.
Poll plank
International education is a significant industry in Australia, contributing A$36.4 billion ($24.7 billion) to the economy in 2022-2023 financial year. However, election results have hinted that voters are concerned over the heavy influx of foreign students and workers, putting excessive pressure on the housing market, making immigration a potential major battleground in the upcoming polls.
High immigration
Net immigration in Australia reached a record high in the year ending September 30, 2023, increasing by 60% to 548,800. This surge in migration, driven by students from India, China, and Philippines, has expanded the labour supply and restrained wage pressures, but it has exacerbated an already tight housing market.
Visa fee
To contain the surge in migration, the government recently more than doubled the visa fee for foreign students and pledged to close loopholes in rules that allowed them to continuously extend their stay.
Comments are closed.