Australia could lose its competitive edge in the scramble for the world’s brightest minds under a plan to wipe out student visa hopping and bogus degrees, an education peak body has warned.
International students and those on graduate visas will no longer be allowed to bring family members with them to Australia under sweeping changes announced by Immigration Minister Tony Burke on Thursday.
The tweaks were targeting the injustice of Australian citizens waiting years for spouses to gain entry while international students can bring relatives along from the start, Mr Burke said.
While welcoming aspects of the policy designed to ensure students were genuine, International Education Association of Australia chief executive Phil Honeywood told AAP the reforms were a “mixed bag”.
“The opportunity for your partner to work full-time while you study means that you can meet the cost of living pressures,” he said.
“Bear in mind that (international students’) tuition fees are three times more on average.”
Students’ family members and dependents already onshore, of which there were almost 120,000 as of June 30, will be allowed to stay.
Some Southeast Asians and Pacific islanders studying certain courses, and all PhD students, will also be exempt from the new rule.
Students will only be allowed to extend their visas if they’re moving to a higher level course, like a bachelor to a master’s degree.
The change aimed to prevent dodgy institutions offering sham courses whose only purpose was letting migrants fulfil a student visa condition while they live and work in Australia.
“To hop around up and down to different institutions … actually just seeking a migration outcome as part of Australia’s export of international education will come to an end as a model,” Mr Burke said.
But Mr Honeywood said the overwhelming number of international students came seeking a world-class qualification and the changes could lead some to look at other options.
“Countries like France are now pragmatically teaching degrees in English because they’ve noted that they need international students to meet their domestic workforce requirements,” he said.
“The welcome mat to Australia has been withdrawn in the eyes of many education providers.”
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