In the backdrop of stringent visa rules and security concerns of international students in Australia, there has been a slide in the overseas students’ enrolment especially in the field of vocational training and English language.
The federal data has shown a declining trend in the international students’ enrolment. However, at university level enrolments have recorded a small increase, according to a report published in ‘the Age’.
Enrolments in vocational courses were down 20 per cent on April 2010, and in the English language field down 21 per cent, according to official data.
Weakest areas for enrolments were witnessed in courses like hospitality and hairdressing where visa changes have hit hardest. This has forced the educational institutions to press the government to ease student visa requirements.
International education system stood at $19 billion to the Australian economy in 2009-10. The review of the system, led by the former New South Wales parliamentarian Mr Michael Knight, has received 200 submissions from across education and business.
The Council of International Students has sought for lifting the cap on the number of hours students are allowed to work. It has called for a relaxation of the 20-hour maximum allowable work hours, as well as a reduction in the cost of visas and the amount of money students must have in the bank to qualify.
The council has also asked the government to increase the length of a students’ visa to one-and-a-half times the minimum course duration that would allow them enrolling in a three-year degree to stay four-and-a-half years to complete their studies.
Similar calls for greater flexibility and lower fees are echoed by industry bodies including the International Education Association of Australia, which represents education providers.