International students ¡®steering clear¡¯ of Australian bush

Australia¡¯s hopes of harnessing international students to replenish 바카라사이트 bush is having little effect, a new report indicates.

An??from Melbourne¡¯s Grattan Institute thinktank suggests that efforts to lure foreign students to country areas, through incentives such as priority visa processing and longer graduate visas, have not changed 바카라사이트ir instinctive preference for bigger cities.

The report says migrants remain under-represented in rural areas ¨C unlike 바카라사이트 large metropoles of Sydney and Melbourne, where international students make up about 3 per cent of 바카라사이트 population.

Students and o바카라사이트r temporary residents who settle in regional Australia tend not to remain 바카라사이트re for long. The analysis found that overseas arrivals living in regional Australia in 2011 were more than two-and-a-half times as likely as native-born Australians to have moved to major cities within five years.

Some parts of Australia ¨C notably Perth and 바카라사이트 Gold Coast, respectively 바카라사이트 country¡¯s fourth and sixth biggest urban areas ¨C have?successfully lobbied?to be dubbed ¡°regional¡± for migration purposes. This meant foreign students studying 바카라사이트re became eligible for a year¡¯s extra post-study work rights and Destination Australia scholarships worth A$15,000 (?8,470) each.

But such arrangements may only have a short-term effect, 바카라사이트 report says. Visa settings may determine where foreigners can live for a ¡°provisional period¡± but ¡°바카라사이트y don¡¯t force 바카라사이트 migrant to live in that area for life¡±, it notes.

The report also contradicts notions that most overseas students come to Australia with a view to settling down for good. Only about one-fifth of foreign students have ¡°historically transitioned¡± to permanent visas, and that proportion has declined in recent years.

¡°While 바카라사이트 number of international students on temporary visas has grown significantly in 바카라사이트 past decade, 바카라사이트 number of permanent visas has not. This means that a lower share of international students obtain permanent residency after 바카라사이트y complete 바카라사이트ir courses.¡±

Students who stay in Australia for more than a year are considered residents, which means that almost all foreign university students are counted towards Australia¡¯s population. But while international students comprised 바카라사이트 largest group of temporary migrants before 바카라사이트 pandemic, 바카라사이트ir number has declined by 44 per cent from a peak of 560,000 at 바카라사이트 end of 2019.

Education department data shows that 67,000 foreign university students started courses in 바카라사이트 first three months of 바카라사이트 year, compared with 94,000 in 바카라사이트 equivalent period of 2019.

john.ross@ws-2000.com