Decrease in student visa applications following Australian government crackdown

KATHMANDU: The number of international student visa applications in Australia has decreased by nearly half.

According to data published by Nine Entertainment, the Department of Education reported that 15,270 international student visa applications were registered in Aug, a sharp decline from 30,703 applications in Aug 2023.

In July, 18,697 students applied for study visas, compared to 36,207 applications in the same month the previous year.

Currently, the Australian government has increased the application fee for international student visas from 710 AUD to 1,600 AUD.

As part of a broader strategy to reduce high immigration levels, the government announced in Aug plans to limit new international student enrollments in universities and vocational education providers to 270,000 by 2025.

New statistics reveal that India, the second-largest source of international students in Australia, saw a 66.4% decrease in visa applications, falling from 13,047 in July and Aug 2023 to just 4,383 during the same period in 2024.

Similarly, applications from the Philippines dropped significantly from 5,126 to 849, while Pakistan’s applications fell from 4,234 to 616.

In contrast, the number of Chinese students applying for visas has decreased by less than 10% between 2023 and 2024, making them the largest group of international students heading to Australia.

Universities Australia, the peak body representing Australian universities, has warned that the government’s proposed student cap could result in billions of dollars in losses for the country’s economy and lead to the loss of thousands of jobs in the higher education sector.