‘Are we welcome in the country?’: Australia’s clampdown on international students causes widespread concern

SYDNEY: University of Technology Sydney marketing major Raghan Motani fears he is no longer welcome in Australia.

A major housing shortage has plagued the nation, which the Labor government partially blames on a rise in the number of international students like Raghan. Now, a clampdown on such students is causing widespread concern in the country’s multibillion-dollar education industry.

In the government’s latest move to rein in record migration that has soared since the COVID-19 pandemic, international student visa fees more than doubled to A$1,600 (US$1,068) from A$710. The higher fees took effect on Jul 1.

There are no refunds if an applicant is rejected.

English language requirements were previously tightened in March, while the amount of savings international students need to qualify for a visa was raised in May to A$29,710 from A$24,505 - the second increase in about seven months.

The government is currently holding consultations over a plan to cap the number of international students that domestic universities can accept.

These measures have sent shock waves through the industry and the student movement who believe they are being unfairly blamed for Australia’s housing crisis.

“We international students, we come over here with the hope, with an understanding … plus, we are bringing that much cash, that much money to the economy. We contribute a significant amount,” said Raghan, who is also an international student officer at his university.

“The only thing we ask in return is protect us; protect our rights.

"But instead of that, (they are) arguing with us and then putting us in a situation where we ourselves are doubting: Are we welcome in the country?” he told CNA.

CAP COULD COST BILLIONS OF DOLLARS

Such perceptions risk deterring thousands of students from choosing Australia over other countries to study in.

Universities and industry players have warned that a cap on international student numbers would cost Australia billions of dollars.

Last year, international education contributed nearly A$48 billion to the country’s economy.

Australian universities earn about twice as much from overseas students than local ones, while reports have suggested that a drop in international students going to Australia since the visa clampdown has already cost the economy more than A$4 billion.

Over the past year, the number of student visas approved fell by 23 per cent – or nearly 60,000 students.

Liang Weihong from Sydney University’s Postgraduate Representative Association told CNA he believes overseas students can no longer have faith in government policy when it comes to the education sector.

 “My feeling is that it’s not a behaviour that we imagine an Australian government can do. It is really low,” he added.

CHANGES COULD PRODUCE TWO-TIER SYSTEM

While efforts to aim policies at international students play well in the electorate and are supported by the government and opposition, some industry players believe they are misdirected. 

George Williams, professor and vice-chancellor of Western Sydney University, said that while it makes sense for the government to have a managed migration programme, it has been “wrongly applied” to international students.

“These are people not coming as permanent migrants,” he pointed out.

“Eighty-six per cent … get a great education here and go to a wonderful set of employment opportunities in their home country.”

So far, the government has been determined to cap numbers, saying the new laws will discourage people using student visas as a backdoor to Australia. But it remains unclear how far the cap will go and which universities would be most affected.

The government has introduced The Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Quality and Integrity) Bill 2024, which covers the cap on international students and proposes to give the Education Minister powers to interfere with courses.

On Tuesday (Aug 6), Universities Australia chief executive Luke Sheehy told a senate committee hearing that the cap could cost 14,000 jobs.

In parliament, the country’s Education Minister Jason Clare said he is “consulting directly” with universities to “make sure we get this right”.

“But it’s about making sure we provide universities with the certainty and stability for managed growth over time,” he added.

Observers said these changes could produce a two-tier education system, with smaller colleges and universities being penalised while larger ones remain relatively unscathed.

Williams from Western Sydney University noted: “There’s no doubt that the door is open for next year, but how that affects the relativities between universities is still being resolved.

“So if a student would like to come and study with us, there should be no barriers to studying here as opposed to other great universities.

“And if we (do) get a divide in the sector, we believe that would harm students across the board so we would fight hard against it,” he added.