Australia has seen a notable decrease in the number of visa applications by international students wishing to study in this country, following the government’s decision to reduce migrant intake.
The figures from the Department of Education revealed that the number of visa applications lodged in August this year was 15,270, down from 30,703 registered in August 2023, VisaGuide.World reports.
According to a report from Xinhua, in July this year, 18,697 offshore students applied for visas to pursue their studies in Australia, compared to 36,207 registered in the same month in 2023.
The decrease in the number of international students emerges from Australia’s decision that took effect on July 1, to more than double the application fee for international student visas from 487.4 US dollars to 1,098.4 US dollars.
According to a report from Xinhua, visa applications from India, which is the second-biggest source country for foreign students in Australia, decreased by 66.4 per cent from 13,047 registered in July and August to 4.383 registered during the same period this year.
In addition, the same source noted that applications from the Philippines decreased from 5,126 to 849 and those from Pakistan from 4,234 to 616.
Besides, visa applications from China, which is the largest source country of foreign students in Australia, decreased by less than ten per cent between 2023 and 2024.
New Cap for International Students
Earlier this year, authorities in Australia proposed to limit the number of international student commencements to 270,000 for 2025.
According to the announcement, the cap, referred to as the National Planning Level (NPL) on international student enrollments, would be allocated across institutions, distinguished between higher education as well as vocational training sectors.
Now students are back. There are about ten percent more international students in our universities today than before the pandemic and about 50 per cent more in our private vocational and training providers.
Based on the government’s data, the cap will result in nearly 145,000 new students for public universities and nearly 95,000 for vocational institutions. In addition, the cap is about 7,000 fewer than pre-pandemic levels and approximately 53,000 below the previous year.