The measures, which come into effect from July 1 as part of Australia's wider immigration reform strategy, aim to close loopholes that allow students and other temporary visa holders to stay in the country.
“Our immigration strategy sets out a clear plan to close the gaps in international education and this is the next step in delivering that plan,” Home Affairs Minister Claire O'Neill said in a statement.
“We need a migration system that provides the necessary skills but does not trade in corruption, loopholes and exploitation,” she added.
According to the Australian Government, individuals using the visitor-student route has become increasingly common, with over 36,000 applications made between 1 July 2023 and 31 May 2024.
English Australia, which represents more than 100 member universities and acts as the national body for the country's English language sector, has already condemned the move, branding it a “dramatic change unsupported by data or research”.
“This signals yet another dramatic change being made that is not based on data or research, and no economic impact study has yet been conducted on the expected consequences of the change. There is no data or research available to show that student visa holders who previously held a visitor visa tend to be more non-compliant with their visa obligations than other groups or overseas applicants,” said English Australia CEO Ian Aird.
According to English Australia, the regulations unfairly punish not only actual students who want to study in Australia, but also 'good providers who invest in services and programs that attract these applicants'.
It is too early to tell how English schools will be affected by the changes, but some are taking a wait-and-see approach.
Ian Aird, English Australian
Langports, an English language college with facilities in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, has over 500-600 students per week. Approximately 50% of students hold study visas, while the rest are enrolled in various visas such as tourist, working holiday, and other dependent visas.
“Because we only focus on English courses, we recruit students from overseas to study English and then return home. So our students will come and return home on study abroad, tourist or working holiday visas. The new rules could impact people who want to stay in Australia or progress to a job or higher education,” said Anna Bell, CEO of Langports. pie news.
“[Roughly] 90-95% of bookings come from overseas. Schools that recruit domestically, mainly vocational schools or cheap English schools, will be the first to be affected. “That’s my opinion,” he added.
According to Australian visa regulations for English schools, students will need to apply for a tourist visa if they plan to study in Australia for a total of less than 12 weeks, and a student visa if they plan to study for longer than that.
This indicates that yet another dramatic change is being made without any basis in data or research, and that no economic impact study has yet been conducted on the expected consequences of the change.
Ian Aird, English Australian
But major policy changes mean English schools in Australia are already facing visa refusals.
According to Bell, the rejection rate for Colombian students was 40% in January and February 2024, while other countries such as Thailand have also seen numerous rejections in the past 12 months.
“Over the last six months we have only had 12 visa refusals, but this week alone we had four refusals, two of which were overseas. There is no pattern by age or nationality behind these rejections and it is really difficult to understand why this happens,” Bell said.
“We are trying to diversify our markets and attract students from low-risk countries. “Currently, we have students from 25 different nationalities at our school.”
Australian English language industry stakeholders have also highlighted unexplained visa refusals for students applying from overseas.
Simon Costain, general manager of international business development at NextEd Group, said in a LinkedIn post: “Recent visa approval data shows that three out of four Colombian English-language applicants (overseas) are rejected, despite most students actually meeting the criteria to study in Australia. “It appeared,” he said. It operates a group of eight private higher education companies.
“The Australian government maintains a visa fee of $710, equivalent to half the average Colombian monthly salary. We decided to reduce the number. But it does show some transparency and creates a new rule book for the industry to follow. “These are people’s lives and dreams, not statistics on a page,” he added.
More than 150,000 international students were in Australia on a second or follow-on student visa in 2022/23.
However, according to English Australia, “For many years, prospective students have come to Australia alone or with their families on tourist visas. So they can visit places and educational institutions to see if they are suitable for their needs.… It is the definition of a true student and should be applauded and not banned.”
The group also pointed out that “halving net immigration would very likely push Australia into recession” and that the curbs plan was an attempt to hold immigrants responsible for the “housing crisis gripping the country”. He pointed out that it was part of the government's efforts.