‘Are we welcome in this country?’ Australia’s crackdown on international students sparks widespread concern

Changes may create a two-tier system

While policy efforts targeting international students have played well with voters and have support from both the government and the opposition, some in the industry believe they are heading in the wrong direction.

Western Sydney University professor and vice-chancellor George Williams said while it made sense for the government to have a managed migration program, it was being “misapplied” to international students.

“These people are not coming here as permanent immigrants,” he noted.

“86% of them received a good education here and have received numerous job opportunities in their home countries.”

So far, the government has decided to cap student numbers, saying the new laws will stop people using student visas as a backdoor into Australia. But it is unclear how widespread the restrictions will be and which universities will be most affected.

The government has introduced the Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Quality and Integrity) Bill 2024, which would cap international student numbers and propose giving the education minister the power to intervene in courses.

Universities Australia chief executive Luke Sheehy told a Senate committee hearing on Tuesday the cap could lead to the loss of 14,000 jobs.

In parliament, the country’s education minister, Jason Clare, said he was “consulting directly with universities” to “make sure we get this right.”

“But the key is to ensure we provide universities with the certainty and stability to enable controlled growth over the long term,” he added.

Observers say the changes could create a two-tier education system in which smaller colleges and universities are penalized while larger ones are relatively unaffected.

“There is no doubt that the door is open for next year, but the impact on the relationship between universities remains to be worked out,” said Western Sydney University’s Williams.

“So if students want to study here, there will be no hurdles compared to other top universities.

He added: “If we (do) have disagreements in this area, we think it will be to the detriment of all students, so we will stand firm against it.”