SYDNEY: Australia will try to rein in a spike in international student arrivals by imposing different speeds of visa processing, in the latest effort by the centre-left government to cut migration numbers ahead of an expected tight election.
Education Minister Jason Clare on Thursday (Dec 19) announced the new ministerial direction, which he said would prioritise the processing of visa applications for those universities and colleges "that are operating sustainably.”
Under the changes, there will be two categories of visa processing: high priority and standard. Education providers will receive quick approvals up until they hit 80% of their international student allotment, which was previously flagged under legislation to cap arrivals. After that, visas will be processed at a slower pace.
The ministerial direction is a fallback option after legislation to cap international student allocations at universities and skills colleges was rejected by the parliament. The centre-right opposition decided to vote against the plan, despite insisting it wanted to see caps on international students as well.
Australia is due to hold an election by May 17 and opinion polls show the Labour government and Liberal-National opposition are running neck-and-neck.
Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Thursday, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said the change would "ensure that visa applications are processed in a way that those student numbers can be managed and also applications can flow to regional and smaller universities.”
Labour is looking for ways to rein in new arrivals ahead of the election in which the high level of post-pandemic immigration is expected to be a major issue. Estimates for net overseas migration this fiscal year were revised up to 340,000 on Wednesday from 260,000 forecast in May.
However, figures released last week showed there had been a 25% drop in student visa arrivals in the 12 months through June 2024, falling to 207,000 from 278,000 a year earlier.
The opposition has accused the government of failing to contain net migration, saying it’s exacerbating a national housing shortage that has seen property prices and rents soar across Australia. - Bloomberg
