After Canada, Australia has also changed its rules for migrant students. The government is trying to control the continuous rise in the population of foreign students. Education Minister Jason Clair said that “the number of international students in our universities has increased 10% as compared to the period before COVID. The count increased by 50% in private, vocational, and training providers. This is the reason for the struck rules against migration of students.
During COVID-19, Australia has increased its annual migration limit in 2022 to help companies recruit staff shortages as the COVID-19 pandemic has banned foreign students and workers for up to 2 years. The record migration of students from India, China, and the Philippines has increased the workforce, which has helped in keeping the wage pressure under control, but now this thing is becoming more difficult due to increasing demand in the property market.
Education Minister Jason Clair said that the limit means that in 2025, the seats for students in Universities will be limited to 1,45,000 and in private institutions will be limited to 95,000. As per the government’s data, the initial number of students under this program will decrease by about 7000 as compared to the pre-corona period and by 53,000 as compared to last year.
The government also doubled the visa fees in July to reduce immigration from 5,28,000 in 2023-2024 to 2,60,000 in 2024-2025. However the concern is that a large number of foreign students and workers will put additional pressure on the housing market in Australia. Which will make immigration a potentially major election issue in the elections to be held in less than a year.
Immigration reached a record high in the year ending September 30, 2023, rising 60% to a record 548,800, up from 518,000 people who came to Australia in June.
Canada has also changed its visa policies for students. The Canadian government said foreign nationals can no longer apply for a post-graduation work permit at the border. This is going to have a huge impact on hundreds of Indian students.
Indian Students in Australia
Australia's capping foreign student enrollment will majorly impact India. India is among the top countries from where students go to Australia for study as well as for better livelihood. According to the data published by the Department of Education, Australian Government, the number of Indian students enrolling for studies in Australia has shown fluctuations over the past few years. In 2019, there were 1,15,107 Indian students pursuing education in Australia.It decreased in 2020, with 1,14,842 students.
This decline continued into 2021, where the number dropped to 99,227 students, likely impacted by the global pandemic and its associated travel restrictions. The year 2022 also didn’t see a significant increase with the number stabilising at 99,374 students. However, the next year, 2023, saw a noticeable jump in the number of Indian students, reaching 126,487, reflecting a renewed interest in Australian education. In 2024, the numbers experienced a dip again, with 1,18,109 students enrolling in Australian institutions. One of the major reasons why the numbers dipped in 2024 is because Australia making their students' visa expensive.