Australian universities warn against reducing number of international students
In Australia, Universities Australia Chief Executive Luke Sheehy said that a possible reduction in the number of international students could cause lasting damage to the university sector. This was reported by ABC News Australia ahead of a planned speech by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke on changes to the migration system.
Universities’ concerns
According to Sheehy, governments have encouraged universities to attract international students for decades. He believes that reducing their numbers would create a funding gap in Australia’s higher education system.
Sheehy also noted that the sector depends on skilled researchers, about half of whom came from abroad. He pointed out that Australia has the world’s highest visa application fees and said such measures could send the wrong signal at a time when international students could support universities and the country’s future workforce capacity.
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Migration plans
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke is due to present long-awaited changes to the migration system at the National Press Club in Canberra. According to ABC, they could include an effective ban on international students bringing their family members to Australia.
Professor Alan Gamlen of the Australian National University’s Migration Studies Centre criticised the Labor Party’s plan to limit net overseas migration to 225,000 people by 2028. He called setting such a migration target a bad idea, as the figure also includes movements by Australian citizens and permanent residents, which the authorities cannot control.
Australia’s current net overseas migration figure stands at 306,000 people. Two-thirds of this number are temporary visa holders, including students and Working Holiday visa holders.
