As part of its attempts to control record migration, Australia announced on Wednesday that it would increase the savings required of foreign students in order to obtain a visa, and alerted multiple universities to fraudulent student recruitment practices.
As per the second increase in roughly seven months, international students will need to demonstrate proof of savings of at least A$29,710 ($19,576) in order to obtain their visa as of this Friday. In October, it was increased from A$21,041 to A$24,505.
The actions come after a flurry of recent measures to tighten regulations surrounding student visas as the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in 2022 caused a sudden surge in immigration, adding to the pressure on an already tight rental market.
In addition to raising the English language proficiency requirements for student visas in March, the government has been moving to remove policies that let students stay longer.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said 34 education providers received warning letters for "non-genuine or exploitative recruitment practices". If found guilty, they might receive a two-year prison sentence and be prohibited from recruiting students, according to her.
"Dodgy providers have no place in our international education sector. These actions will help weed out the bottom feeders in the sector that seek to exploit people and trash the reputation of the sector," O'Neil said in a statement.
One of Australia's main export sectors, international education contributed A$36.4 billion ($24 billion) to the country's GDP in 2022–2023.
However, record migration, largely caused by foreign students, has put pressure on the government as national rental prices have skyrocketed. In the year ending September 30, 2023, net immigration increased by 60% to a record 548,800. Over the next two years, the government anticipates that its policies may cut Australia's immigration intake in half.
"We are significantly reducing migration levels - we are in the middle of the biggest drop in migration numbers in Australia's history, outside of war or pandemic," O'Neil said.
