The government of Australia is limiting the number of student visas being issued in 2025. This measure is intended to curb the growth in international students in Australia. The Australian government argues that this should improve the quality of higher education. Educational institutions are voicing criticism of the new measure.
New restriction for students
On 27 August 2024, the Australian government announced that a cap will be imposed on the number of student visas issued in 2025. The maximum number of student visas will have to match the amounth of student visas issued in 2023. The main goal is to prevent uncontrolled growth in the number of international students. This restriction is just one part of a larger package of measures the Australian government has introduced to tighten its grip on immigration to the country. The conditions for applying for student visas were tightened earlier in 2024.
Student visa cap 2025
Australia will issue up to 270,000 new student visas through 2025. The government has made it clear that this will only apply to student visas for new students. If someone already has a student visa and starts a second study or course at the same institution and applies for a student visa, it will not count towards this maximum. The cap also does not apply to high school students, PhD students, exchange students, students on Australian government scholarships and in a few other cases.
The maximum of 270,000 new student visas is divided into different caps for the following categories of educational institutions:
- 145,000 visas for students at public universities
- 30,000 visas for students at private universities and other higher education institutions
- 95,000 visas for students in vocational education
Maximum number per institution
A controversial part of the new measure is that there will be a cap on the number of international students who can be admitted for each specific educational institution in 2025. This means that the Australian Immigration Department will issue a maximum number of student visas for each educational institution. Once this cap is reached, the immigration department will stop processing new visa applications for the particular institution.
Some institutions are forced to receive a significant lower number of international students. For some institutions, the new cap allows for much more students than the current numbers. Larger institutions in particular, such as the University of Melbourne, the University of Sydney or the Australian National University face serious restrictions, while many smaller educational institutions will probably never reach the cap.
Criticism of the plans
Several educational institutions in Australia, including Western Sydney University, and the Australian Department of Education have expressed their dissatisfaction with the plans. It is not clear how the maximum number for each educational institution has been determined. Critics say the distribution is lacking in logic and will result in a much lower number of student visas, even lower than the mandatory cap. The new restriction will also make it difficult for larger universities to plan for the future and keep growing. The critics expect a negative impact on Australian education as a whole.
Visa to study in Australia
Studying in Australia does not always require a student visa. If the study or training lasts a maximum of 3 months, an eVisitor visa is usually sufficient. You can easily apply for the eVisitor visa online, in which case the maximum visa cap does not apply. Please take the conditions of the eVisitor visa Australia into account. A student visa is required if the study in Australia lasts more than 3 months.