The family of international students will no longer be granted visas and visa-hopping will be banned, in a further shake-up of Australian policy relating to international students.
In a major address to the National Press Club today, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke outlined the Albanese Government’s long-awaited immigration reforms yesterday. While many of the changes had been foreshadowed prior to the announcement, the speech sought to balance a tightening of controls on the system while defending migration overall, with some muted notes of support that will be welcomed by international students and migrant communities.
The Government will introduce a qualification scale, which effectively means international students will only be allowed to transition to a new qualification onshore if it is at a higher level than their last one.
Mr Burke said the Government would clamp down on ‘illegitimate’ educational providers encouraging visa holders to stay longer.
"Someone finishes their course and where do they go to next? And one of the classic areas of visa hopping is people finish a course, hop to the next course, hop to the next," he said.
"What we'll be doing is setting a very simple rule: you can go up the qualification scale, but only up the qualification scale.
"So, at the end of a bachelor degree, if you want to then do a master's, that's up the scale.
"But to hop around, up and down, to different institutions and claim what is actually just seeking a migration outcome as part of Australia's export of international education will come to an end as a model."
The Government would not send home family members who had already entered Australia accompanying international students, but would not allow more to attend under the reforms.
"We will no longer be allowing the attaching of family members for international students or for graduate visas," Mr Burke said.
While the speech was calibrated to demonstrate the Government was bringing migration under control it was also surprisingly strong in defending the importance of migration, and arguing that immigrants were not causing the nation’s housing crisis. This is a significant statement given that international students have been frequently blamed for contributing to the housing crisis and Education Minister Jason Clare has already stepped in to require universities build more accommodation if they wish to have a hope of growing their international student numbers.
The Government will preference migrants with building and construction trade skills under the reforms.
"Housing and the housing shortage we have is not caused by immigration, but immigration needs to be part of the solution for the housing crisis," Mr Burke said.
The reforms would increase the housing supply and put downwards pressure on rent costs, he said.
Mr Burke denied the government had been silent in defending the importance of migrant communities and migration in Australia and said migration was essential to support regional health and service delivery, as well as support the Australian economy.
Universities Australia CEO Luke Sheehy welcomed the Governments commitment to hold migration levels steady.
“We agree with the strong case Minister Burke made today for migration and international education,” he said.
“Today’s announcement includes exemptions for PhD students and other priority cohorts. This is a welcome measure, reflecting the enormous contribution that these students make to our economy. Australia is competing globally for the researchers and highly skilled people who will drive our future industries, and we need to remain an attractive place for them to study and work.
“The same principle should apply across the international education system.”
Mr Sheehy said that while the government had committed to allowing 295,000 students to enrol, commencements were below that level already, down 8% on last year. The government needed to adjust visa fees, slow visa processing and other barriers to allow the full quota in.
The 2050 Alliance added that the sector was still wating on an international education and skills framework to be finalised by Government, after it was drafted in 2024.
The decision to deny family members from accompanying students would also damage Australia’s reputation as a welcoming country, the Alliance said.
The Australian Business Deans Council criticised the reforms, saying international students had been unfairly targeted.
“"Universities in the UK are further down this path, with a recent House of Commons Education Committee report finding that policies such as changes to visa eligibility rules have left some universities at the risk of insolvency,” ABDC President Maryam Omari said.
"It is time to recognise the value of international education to the Australian economy and community by supporting a positive and sustainable vision for the sector’s growth."