In an announcement dated 21 March, the government outlined its December immigration strategy, including significant new changes, including the introduction of higher language requirements for visas and new 'no longer stay' rules for visitor visas on 23 March. He said he would fulfill his key promises.
He said change was needed due to the “pandemic-era concessions” inherited from the previous government led by Scott Morrison.
Home Affairs and Cybersecurity Minister Claire O'Neill said: “The government's actions since September have resulted in a significant reduction in immigration levels, with the recent issuance of international student visas down 35 per cent compared to the previous year.”
Among the measures they have taken is closing unlimited work hours for international students in addition to pandemic visas.
The English language requirement for student visas will increase from IELTS 5.5 to 6.0 and for graduate visas from IELTS 6.0 to 6.5, improving the student experience and reducing potential workplace exploitation.
New powers under section 97 of the ESOS Act will also come into effect on March 23, allowing authorities to stop high-risk education providers from recruiting international students.
Providers at highest risk will be issued warning notices and given six months to “get their act together”, the government said.
It added that a new Genuine Student Test, which would clarify applicants' study intentions and financial circumstances, would be introduced to “further crack down on international students who come to Australia primarily to work rather than study”.
The government will also increase the imposition of “no further stay” conditions on visit visas. This means that prospective international students must apply for a student visa before coming to Australia.
O'Neil added: “This weekend's actions will continue to reduce migration levels while delivering on the commitments of our migration strategy to fix the broken systems we inherited.”
English Australia said the government's announcement “appears to have been rushed” following net migration figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The figure, which represents a net increase in arrivals to Australia of 548,800 this year to September 30, was the highest 12-month net migration period in Australian history.
But other ABS data shows the number of student visa applications and approvals fell by more than a third in the 12 months to February this year.
Australia's English language education peak body said the English language requirement for visas was a “surprising early implementation” as the Department of Home Affairs did not indicate its intention to implement it before July at a recent meeting.
ELICOS students are exempt from the language requirement, but if students enroll in a package with another program, they must meet the new Requirement 6.0 or equivalent by the end of their ELICOS program.
The ELICOS program should not exceed an additional 20 weeks.
For any course with an entry requirement lower than IELTS 6.0, you will still need a score of 6.0 to receive a visa. The basic program is also unaffected and remains at 5.5.
English Australia CEO Ian Aird advised members that no further exemptions would be announced for at least a week.
“No guidance has been provided to providers or students wishing to apply to register for a package during the interim period,” he said.
“English Australia continues to work with DHA to understand these changes and their implementation and will strongly advocate for more transparency, more carefully targeted and more effectively implemented changes to enable a more equitable and sustainable system. I am defending it.”
The Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia emphasized that members were given eight days to implement the Genuine Student Requirement before March 23.
“The Australian Government is fully committed to international education policy.”
CEO Troy Williams said that, given that the change was “one of the most significant changes to the student visa system in more than eight years,” the move “results in the growing belief across ITECA members that the Australian government is in crisis.” “It reflects that,” he said. It’s about international education policy.”
“The genuine student requirement is one of a series of initiatives being rolled out by the Australian government to address one regulatory failure,” he said.
“To address these regulatory failures, governments are enforcing additional, more punitive regulations. Formal sales will be through the roof in Canberra.”
On Channel 7 Sunrise on March 22, Education Minister Jason Clare was asked about the lack of accommodation.
“About the ABS number that came out [on March 21]A big part of the immigration numbers are students – international students who have returned to Australia to complete or start their degrees since the pandemic,” he said.
“Forecasts show that migration is expected to decline over the next year or so. We want it to come down, but we also need to build more houses. We need to build more homes for Australians…
“Universities have a role to play here in providing accommodation for their students and making accommodation affordable for Australian students as well.”