International students and their families will be prime targets of the Australian government’s postponed “migration crackdown”, according to speculation reported in the national broadsheet.
The government plans to emulate the UK by preventing most students from bringing dependants with them, The Australian newspaper predicted. “Secondary” visas for accompanying family members will only be available to higher research degree students, Pacific islanders, East Timorese and recipients of foreign government scholarships or Australian departmental sponsorships, the report suggests.
It says home affairs minister Tony Burke is also expected to curtail foreigners’ rights to apply for student visas from within Australia. New course-hopping restrictions would also be imposed, particularly on higher education graduates enrolling in vocational education and training (VET) programmes.
Burke was scheduled to announce migration changes at the National Press Club on 6 August but cancelled his address at short notice. The Australian reported that the new rules would now be unveiled in September. There has been speculation that Burke could appear at the Press Club as early as the coming week.
If enacted, the measures could have a devastating effect on some educational subsectors – particularly VET and English language training – but would also hit higher education hard. Of the visas awarded for taught master’s and bachelor’s programmes last financial year, 13 per cent went to students’ family members and 37 per cent went to people who had applied within Australia.
