Australian Home Affairs Minister Claire O’Neil has announced new visa regulations that empower the government to suspend universities from enrolling foreign students if they violate the regulations.
Starting this week, Australia will implement stricter visa rules for foreign students, as confirmed by official data showing another record high in migration, according to Reuters.
The updated visa rules, effective from Saturday, include heightened English language requirements for student and graduate visas. This adjustment is expected to intensify the already tight rental market.
“The actions this weekend will continue to drive migration levels down while delivering on our commitments in the migration strategy to fix the broken system we inherited. It said a new “genuine student test” will be introduced to further crack down on international students working to relocate to Australia for work, while the imposition of “no further stay” conditions will be used on more visitor visas. O’Neil stated.
These measures follow a series of steps taken last year to revoke COVID-era concessions introduced by the previous government, such as unlimited working hours for international students.
Australia had previously announced plans to tighten regulations for students, a move expected to potentially halve its migrant intake over two years.
In response to labor shortages exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and strict border controls, Australia increased its annual migration figures in 2022 to assist businesses in recruiting staff. This step came after nearly two years of keeping foreign students and workers out of the country.
