Just 270,000 international students will get to go to Australia next year

In Australia, the govt has been consulting for months over plans to impose limits on foreign students, part of a broader push to crack down on high post-COVID migration numbers.

By Connect Gujarat Desk 27 Aug 2024

in Education

Just 270,000 international students will get to go to Australia next year

New Update

Australia will limit the number of foreign students to 270,000 in 2025 as part of a migration crackdown.

Under the policy, the government will cap new international students at 145,000 for universities and 95,000 for the skills training sector, Education Minister Jason Clare said Tuesday. Almost 600,000 student visas were granted in fiscal 2023, a significant jump on previous years.

Universities have repeatedly warned that any moves to limit foreign students could damage the lucrative tertiary education industry.

Overall, there will be about 15% more students allowed for universities and 20% fewer for vocational colleges in 2025, Clare said. The government was writing to individual universities to inform them of their caps on Tuesday.

Australia is just the latest country to crack down on international students over migration concerns, with Canada, the Netherlands and the UK all implementing or considering measures targeting the university sector.

In Australia, the government has been consulting for months over plans to impose limits on foreign students, part of a broader push to crack down on high post-COVID migration numbers.

The surge in migration has coincided with rising voter concerns about a housing squeeze that sent rents soaring, proving politically damaging for the center-left Labor government.

Support for migration in Australia has fallen to its lowest level in five years, according to a poll released by Essential on Tuesday, with 42% of those surveyed saying it had a negative effect on the country.