The Australian government will implement a cap on international student enrolments, reversing a previous policy that prioritized larger universities. This move aims to address concerns over rising migration and promote a fairer distribution of international student opportunities across various institutions.
International student numbers will be slashed after budget figures showed the government failing to meet its goal of lower migration. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke will sign a new ministerial direction on Thursday allowing the government to throttle visa processing and limit the number of international students a university can enrol.
The order will replace the existing ministerial direction 107 and effectively introduces measures that would have been legislated had the coalition not opposed a bill in parliament capping international students. Burke said legislating the cap would have been the best option but the new ministerial direction still allows the government to pull one of its biggest levers in the migration system. “Peter Dutton wants to talk tough on migration but has voted to let it rip when it comes to international students,” he said. “This is a counterbalance to his recklessness.” The new direction will be fairer for regional and outer metropolitan universities as well as TAFEs, said Education Minister Jason Clare. “It shouldn’t just be the big inner-city unis that benefit from international education,” he said. “TAFEs, regional and suburban unis should benefit too, and this new approach will help us do that.” Under ministerial direction 107, “lower risk” universities including the major Group of Eight institutions were given priority in a bid to weed out dodgy providers and education agents looking to lure students who were unable to support themselves. The universities sector welcomed the removal of ministerial direction 107, calling it a win for all Australians. “MD107 has wreaked havoc, stripping billions of dollars from the economy and inflicting incredibly serious financial harm on universities, particularly those in regional and outer suburban areas,” said Universities Australia chief executive Luke Sheehy. “Internationalisation and international students are critically important to our economy, our society and our universitie
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