International Students

The latest Overseas Arrivals and Departures figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed that international student arrivals have failed to rebound following the reopening of Australia’s international border late last year.

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO has launched Federal Court action against the University of Melbourne, alleging that it engaged in unlawful adverse action against two casual academics.

A new survey of education agents by education company Navitas found that the top five factors influencing student choice of study destination globally are: cost of study, quality of education, access to post-study work rights, opportunities to work while studying, and opportunities for permanent migration.

Last week, the regulator of Australia’s higher education institutions – the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) – sent universities a list of more than 2000 commercial cheating websites, where students pay for others to complete their work, of which almost 600 are specifically targeting Australian students.

The Fair Work Ombudsman is currently investigating 11 universities nationwide for allegedly underpaying their staff.

Late last year, the former Morrison Government attempted to open the student visa floodgates by uncapping the number of hours those on a student visa could work, alongside extending the amount of time that international graduates can work in Australia.

In May, The AFR reported that the volume of fraudulent student visa applications had mushroomed, dominated by India and Nepal.

Despite cratering entry requirements for international student visas, student numbers have failed to launch after the international border was reopened late last year.

Last month, The AFR reported that Australia was being inundated with fraudulent student visa applications from India and Nepal.

Last week I reported that the Western Australian (WA) Government has implemented a $10 million incentive program that will pay kickbacks to education agents that funnel international students to the state.

Earlier this week, former regulator for the vocational training sector, Claire Field, warned of “significant visa fraud” across the international education sector.

Earlier this month, Victorian university annual reports were tabled in state parliament, showing that nearly every institution improved its financial position in 2021 compared to the previous year.

History doesn’t repeat but it sure does rhyme.

Over the decade leading up to COVID, the exploitation of international students became systemic across the Australian economy.

Late last year, the Morrison Government announced reforms to visa arrangements to ensure a “rapid return of international students”. The reforms included: granting a two year Temporary Graduate visa to Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector graduates; and extending the temporary graduate visa from two to three years for masters by coursework graduates.