Foreign student enrollments and visa rejection rate are at an all-time high in Australia

Australia’s number of international students has surpassed 700,000 for the first time in history, marking a significant historical milestone. The number of temporary immigrants has reached a record-high of 2.8 million, partly due to the increase in international students.

The home affairs department provided figures indicating that as of February 29, there were 713,144 overseas students enrolled in Australian universities. The impact of border closures during the epidemic, which led to a higher-than-normal intake of students and temporary migrants, was acknowledged by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Albanese stressed the issue of controlling population growth and provided strategies for reducing it through migration. Rizvi reiterated this sentiment, pointing out differences between estimated and real population statistics and stressing the need for changes.

The Albanese government has responded to the increasing number of students by implementing the migration review’s recommended measures, such as removing the English language requirement for student visas and instituting a genuine student test to weed out fraudulent candidates.

Government data also shows a spike in visa rejections, with over 50,000 applications denied in the three months prior to February, despite the record number of overseas students. This is the first time in more than two years that there has been a drop in both visa applications and approval rates.

Experts advise against taking drastic steps to reduce the number of students, noting possible harm to the education system and the overall economy. Australia’s export industry includes a sizable segment related to international education, estimated to be worth $50 billion by 2023.

According to a survey, prospective foreign students are becoming less interested in major international study locations like Canada, the UK, and Australia and more interested in smaller ones like the US, Germany, and New Zealand. This change comes after these popular locations implemented stricter regulations to control the influx of foreign students.