The new Australian government was sworn in on June 1. With the latest change in the administration, institutes are hoping for policy changes that will make the Australian immigration policy better for students seeking higher education in the country, in a bid to attract top talent from new and already established markets.
A few top Australian institutes have stressed the fact that the sector “cannot afford to be disconnected from the global pool of talent that is increasingly critical to our – and our competitors’ – success.”
Quick Facts
- Early this year, the Scott Morrison-led government opened Australia's borders to fully vaccinated international students and Temporary Graduates.
- In 2020, Australia witnessed 882,482 admissions, including 686,104 full-fee paying international students on a student visa.
- Fully vaccinated eligible student visa holders are now allowed to travel to Australia without applying for a travel exemption.
Australian Universities Put Forward Suggestions
A few of the top Australian universities have shared their suggestions on how the inflow of international students to the country can be improved. For instance, they have urged the authorities to provide support to boost re-engagement and diversification of the international education sector -- which can be done by establishing new markets and re-engaging with existing ones to create a pipeline of talent.
Another suggestion put forward by the universities is to create a national scholarship program that would encourage meritorious students from a slew of countries to take admissions in engineering, IT and quantum technologies courses.
Australian Government’s New Career Matcher Tool For Foreign Students
New Australian Government To Ramp Up Its Efforts
The newly elected Australian government is expected to ramp up its efforts to woo more international students. From making changes to Australia’s current immigration policy to introducing a new Australian immigration policy, the government could take extreme steps in the coming years.
Meanwhile, the new Australian government appears to be committed to the rights of international students in the country. The government aims to prevent the exploitation of temporary workers, particularly international students. The authorities also vow to work on the safe return of these students. A new policy for temporary migrants could be on the cards as well.
Separately, the authorities are also likely to pay more attention to the needs required by international student diversity as outlined even by the previous Australian government in recent months.
Indian Students In Australia
Australia has remained one of the popular destinations for Indian students. In the past decade, the number of Indians going to Australia for higher studies has increased significantly, of course, barring the pandemic years.
Besides India, there has been an increasing number of students coming from China to Australia. Together, students from India and China accounted for 57% of international higher education enrolments in 2020, up from 46% in 2010.
