Visa applications for the entire sector are being refused at an unprecedented level – just 80 per cent of applications were approved in the six months to December – with vocational education and training providers the hardest hit. The number of student visa holders in Australia fell from 664,000 in September to 547,000 in December.
The government has announced measures including stricter English language testing and financial requirements as well as fines of nearly $1 million for fraudulent training providers in an attempt to boost the quality of students and stop education from being used as a back door for low-paid work.
Vocational training industry group the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia has accused the government of risking the country’s international reputation,particularly among Indian nationals,who have been refused student visas at higher rates than other nationalities.
Last month,in a public post on LinkedIn,ANU’s associate director of international intakes,Brendon Lutwyche,questioned whether Labor was imposing a migration cap by stealth,complaining the government’s approach was rippling through the sector and causing students at his university to miss orientation. The post prompted support from counterparts at other universities.
Thomson said her members continued to attract strong demand from international students.
“The increase in the number of international students seeking to study at Go8 universities is a testament to our high-quality education offering,” she said of the government figures,which show an increase from 18,913 offshore visas in December-January 2022-23,to 21,618 visas granted in the same period in 2023-24.
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“These numbers may however be slightly inflated as the timeframe reflects the period during which countries from where Australia attracts many international students started to reopen their borders,” she said.
“The government’s migration review recognises that our university sector is not a one-size-fits-all and that Australia needs high-achieving graduates who will contribute to our economic and social prosperity.”
O’Neil said the government was halving net overseas migration because the arrival of 518,000 people in the year to June was too high.
“I make no apologies for this. Our education system will not be a visa-free-for-all as it was under the former government,” she said.
International Education Association of Australia head Phil Honeywood said while providers understood the government’s focus,the sector was “already seeing some unanticipated consequences”.
“For example,there could be a greater gulf developing between the lowest-risk[institutions] and all other providers,” he said.
“This trend could well lead to division among universities and see quality private providers potentially go out of business.”