Number of international students in Australia at record high

The number of international students in Australia has reached more than 713,000 for the first time, an "all-time record" for the country.

The figures, as of February 29, were released by the Australian government on April 1. This figure is up 7.3% compared to the figures in September last year with 664,000 international students - a record at that time.

Dr Abul Rizvi, former Australian Deputy Minister for Immigration, said it was an “all-time record”. The total number of temporary visa holders in Australia is also now at an all-time high, at more than 2.8 million.

Although the figures were compiled before Australia's visa restrictions came into effect (March 23), Mr. Abul acknowledged that the government still had much more to do to reduce the number of immigrants.

"The government is pursuing a long-term migration policy but Australia is experiencing the highest number of temporary migrants on record," Mr Albul said.

In 2022, Australia introduced many open policies to attract workers after the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the influx of foreign workers and students has increased pressure on the housing market.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, net migration reached 548,800 in September last year, up more than 30,000 from three months earlier. Australia’s population also grew by 2.5% to 26.8 million. Both were the largest increases on record.

The country then made consecutive moves to tighten student visas, such as increasing financial proof requirements and prohibiting schools from allowing students to take additional courses before completing the main program for six months, in order to prevent visa conversion to work.

As of March 23, applicants for undergraduate visas need to achieve IELTS 6.0 instead of 5.5 as before. For postgraduate (masters, doctorate) degrees, the requirement is 6.5, also increased by 0.5 points.

In addition, international students must take The Genuine Student Test (GST), which replaces the old Temporary Entrant (GTE) report, to ensure the visa is used for study purposes.

Deakin University student, Australia. Photo: Deakin University Fanpage — Deakin University student, Australia. Photo: *Deakin University Fanpage*

Australia is one of the most popular study abroad destinations in the world, after the US and Canada. Among international students, the largest numbers come from China, India and Nepal.

International education is Australia's fourth-largest export sector, worth about $50 billion last year.

Binh Minh (According to The Guardian, ICEF, Financial Review )

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