According to reports, there is a possibility that the government might cap the number of international students in the country. Furthermore, the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report features a proposal indicating that international students might be taxed under the new policies.
All universities have rejected the idea of a levy on international student fee income. However, three universities declared it a spiky idea by the education minister, Jason Clare. Noting the reactions from the sector, the government is less likely to go ahead with the levy of the international student fee, although no official announcement has been made.
In June 2023, authorities granted a total of 577,295 student visas, including 109,676 visas for Indian students. The enrolment of international students is 357,919 more than the previous year. However, some claim that the increase in international student enrolment is causing the accommodation shortage.
According to some stakeholders, the government should raise student visa fees. They argue that raising student visa fees would discourage students from completing low-value courses. Furthermore, raising the application fee for student visas from $710 to $2,500 annually could generate approximately $1 billion to support vulnerable renters.
Authorities in the UK raised fees for immigration health surcharges and visa applications. The fee hike of 65% during the living cost crisis has hit international students who are not from that well-off background.
There are suggestions that instead of taxing the students, the government should come up with a measure to solve the housing shortage. The government should work closely with the residential rental market to reduce demand and ease affordability for students. Moreover, many stakeholders say that it is ridiculous to blame international students for the housing crisis in Australia.
