Student family visa changes damage hard won reputation for international education
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke’s address at the National Press Club today signalled plans to substantially reduce temporary migration, with international students a key target of reforms.
ABDC President Maryam Omari warns that Australian universities are already feeling the impacts of visa hikes and Ministerial Direction 115 student caps, with policy uncertainty undermining student experience, and substantial drops in international student numbers lowering investment in research and teaching across the higher education sector.
“Underinvestment in housing and critical infrastructure, policy choices made over many decades, should not be used as cover for reforms that damage Australia’s hard-won reputation as an international education exporter”, Professor Omari says.
“Policy change signals to international students that they are not welcome and creates uncertainty. It is a damaging message to send to students who have made significant financial and personal commitments to study here.
“International education is a $55 billion export industry, which adds to Australia’s skilled workforce and provides crucial support to research and teaching quality across the university sector.
“Blanket visa refusals are eroding the substantial investments universities have made to diversify their international student cohorts. Changes to family visa eligibility will make university study less attractive for skilled, mature age students who come to Australia to gain postgraduate qualifications.
“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.
“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.”
Further information: contact ABDC Executive Director, Caroline Falshaw, +61 414 488 852, office@abdc.edu.au.