Dodgy education operators will face a crackdown to stop them from exploiting international students.
The federal government has closed a loophole that allows providers to shift international students who have been in Australia for less than six months from study to an arrangement that allows them to access work.
The use of the concurrent study function spiked in the first half of 2023 to 17,000, up from about 10,500 for the same period in 2019 and 2022 combined.
Concurrent enrolments allow students to enrol in more than one course.
But there are concerns international students abandon their primary course in order to favour cheaper vocational training or go straight into the workforce before their visa allows.
The government says a recent review “identified this misuse of ‘concurrent enrolment’ as an integrity issue for the international sector.”
Education Minister Jason Clare said “dodgy and unscrupulous players” were trying to take advantage of international students.
“This change will work to stop predatory second providers from enrolling students before they have studied for the required six months at their first provider,” Clare said.
“This will help ensure the integrity of one of our biggest exports while cracking down on dodgy operators.”
The change takes effect immediately.
The government will also increase the amount of savings international students will need in order to get a student visa to ensure they can support themselves and are not in urgent need of employment.
International students will need $24,505 (US$15,700) in savings from October 1, a 17 percent increase.
The amount had not been indexed since 2019, with the hike acting as a catch-up.
More scrutiny will also be applied to high-risk cohorts to prevent fraud.
Dodgy education services face suspension as the government considers the number of fraudulent applications and the provider’s refusal rate.
More than 200 providers have visa refusal rates higher than 50 percent, which the government said was a concern.
The new measures have been welcomed by peak body Universities Australia.
Chief Executive Catriona Jackson said it was essential the integrity of the system was protected.
“We welcome the government’s action, which we have called for, to crack down on dodgy and unscrupulous operators seeking to exploit students for personal gain,” Jackson said. “It’s important that students who come to Australia for university receive the full benefits of the world-class education they need and deserve.”
A broader review of Australia’s migration system is due later this year.
