SYDNEY — Australia has tightened rules for international students to reduce numbers and improve quality, amid concerns that students — particularly from South Asia — have primarily been coming to work rather than study.
The measures, adopted on December 11, are unlikely to affect Singaporean students, who typically attend high-end universities that have strict application procedures and are not considered to be at risk of attracting inauthentic students.
The government’s measures to curb the lucrative foreign education sector are in line with fears that have been fading since the end of Covid-19 border closures.
There are currently more than 860,000 people in Australia on student visas or post-study work visas, representing more than 3% of the country’s population of 26. 9 million.
Of the 746,080 foreign nationals who studied in Australia in 2023, 159,485 were from China, 122,391 from India, and 60,258 from Nepal. There were 6,515 academics from Singapore.
But the increase in arrivals (the number of foreign academics increased to 31% in 2023) has raised fears that a gigantic number of academics will basically come to work.
The concerns have reportedly centred on those from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan attending vocational colleges that offer courses in fields such as business and management.
To address workforce shortages during the pandemic, the government removed caps on the number of hours that foreign students can work — a move that led to the use of student visas as a pathway to work.
In July, a limit of 48 hours of work per fortnight was imposed on foreign students, reducing the influx of non-genuine students.
In a Dec. 11 report, the government said the recent expansion of education abroad “was partly driven by inauthentic academics and unscrupulous education providers. “Some vocational schools have been accused of offering reasonable courses with few resources and poor schooling standards, in order to allow applicants to qualify for student visas and obtain painting rights.
The report outlined measures to overhaul the sector, including tougher English-language requirement tests and reduced work rights.
The measures, which aim to ensure that certain academics are “genuine” and not simply come to work, have been widely welcomed as a way to set criteria and restrict expansion in the sector. The government is under pressure to curb the current record influx of immigrants, which includes a gigantic number of academics.
Navneet Mittal, vice president of Asian International Students Australia, an organisation that supports foreign academics from Asia, told The Straits Times that he supported the new rules, which would help the quality of education at vocational institutions.
Universities, which already have much higher admission standards, are unlikely to be unaffected but may see a small drop in enrolments due to the higher language requirements, he said.
“The quality of Australian academics has declined,” he said. “After Covid, many other people came into Australia with very basic English skills and went to a vocational school to settle in Australia, and then live here to work. Education is secondary. “
Australia’s overseas education sector is worth about A$30 billion (S$26. 4 billion) a year. It is the fourth largest export sector and provides a steady flow of informal staff for jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors.
The government’s report suggests closer scrutiny of the programmes of academics who are deemed to be most at risk of not being authentic, based on points such as where they plan to go and whether their course is in line with their career progression, as well as stricter limits on hard-work rights. . of some graduates.
Students who complete a master’s or doctoral degree will now only be able to obtain painting visas lasting for two and three years respectively, compared to the previous three and four years. International scholars cannot obtain citizenship directly, but they can apply for work visas that will put them on the path to permanent residency and, eventually, citizenship.
The government is also cracking down on “visa hopping”, which involves students moving from one course to another (changing from a university degree to less expensive vocational courses) to lengthen their stay in Australia.
These changes are not expected to particularly affect Singaporean academics in Australia, most of whom attend the country’s top eight research-intensive universities.
None of those universities are high-risk, so the programs won’t be subject to additional scrutiny, Phil Honeywood, executive leader of the International Association for Education Australia, told ST.
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“The changes [to work rights and English-language requirements] put us back into line with countries that we compete against, such as the UK and Canada,” he said.
Some students in Singapore may find that processing their visa is now faster and easier, as new government measures allocate an additional A$19 million to help them obtain their visas.
Education Minister Jason Clare said on Dec. 12 that schooling abroad was vital to the economy and the university sector and helped promote Australia’s status overseas. But he added that the government will have to make sure students and education providers don’t abuse the system.
“These reforms will help ensure quality and protect the integrity of the system,” he told ABC radio.
“[International education] not only brings money to our universities, it helps so that when academics come here and then return home, they take with them a love and affection for Australia, and that is invaluable in the world we live in “. .
The government has said it needs to curb the expansion of the foreign education sector and will announce additional adjustments in 2024. He did not rule out limiting the number of academics allowed each year, a move that is considered unlikely.
Honeywood said the new tweaks help ensure a cap isn’t necessary.
“In general, the government wants foreign students,” he said. “You have to be careful when turning off the tap. “
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This article first appeared in The Straits Times. Permission is required for reproduction.