For partners 
The government of Australia is preparing another round of tightened migration rules for international students and their family members — one of the most far-reaching reforms in recent times. What is on the list of ideas under discussion?
- Restrictions on filing student visa applications by foreigners already in the country,
- New requirements for the arrival of partners and children (a review of the categories of students entitled to bring them),
- Restrictions on changing educational programs. For example, there are plans to prohibit international students from switching from higher education to the vocational education and training (VET) sector,
- Combating visa hopping (where foreigners «switch» between different visa types to extend their stay in the country),
- Restrictions on the internal migration of international students.
For now, students enrolled in research postgraduate programs with government scholarship support, representatives of Pacific Island countries, and Timor-Leste appear to be the most protected from these changes.
Australian Universities Are Alarmed
Universities Australia Chair Carolyn Evans warned that a sharp decline in the number of international students could have consequences well beyond universities' financial performance. Her view was shared by Group of Eight CEO Vicki Thomson (an association of Australia's largest and most prestigious universities in Australia, the equivalent of the American Ivy League or the British Russell Group). Experts argue that international applicants cannot be viewed purely as migrants — first and foremost they are students, and visa policy for them must therefore be calibrated separately.
Officials have already stated that Australia does not intend to return to a model in which international university enrolment grew primarily through increases in student numbers. The authorities remain focused on reducing net overseas migration: the net overseas migration figure is projected to fall to 225,000 by 2027/28.
For comparison: following the reopening of Australia's borders, it peaked at 538,000 in 2022/23.
Changes in the education sector, it turns out, fit into Australia's broader strategy — the country wants to reduce the overall migration flow.
