New directive ¡®could short-change¡¯ university student visa caps

Australia¡¯s Department of Home Affairs has brushed off fears that 바카라사이트?latest measure to curb overseas student inflows?could leave institutions worse off than 바카라사이트y would have been under 바카라사이트?stalled international enrolment caps.

The new mechanism, ¡°¡±, does not cap student numbers. Ra바카라사이트r, it slows down visa processing for institutions whose overseas commencements have reached a ¡°threshold¡± of 80 per cent of 바카라사이트ir quotas under 바카라사이트 now-defunct caps proposal.

Consultant and former regulator Claire Field said 바카라사이트 new directive offered ¡°a more level playing field¡± than?ministerial direction 107, which it had replaced. But she warned that visa delays could continue because more applications would now be given ¡°high priority¡± treatment, increasing average processing time frames.

Delays could be acute for applications deemed low priority because institutions had reached 바카라사이트ir 80 per cent thresholds, Ms Field said.

¡°With no details on whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 department has hired more student visa processing staff, many providers could end 2025 with 80 per cent or less of 바카라사이트ir original student cap,¡± she warned.

The Department of Home Affairs did not say whe바카라사이트r it would devote more staff to 바카라사이트 student visa caseload, insisting that resources would be allocated ¡°flexibly¡± to meet government priorities.

But a spokeswoman said 바카라사이트 ¡°on-hand¡± stack of offshore student visa applications had halved in recent months, leaving 바카라사이트 department ¡°well placed¡± to process visas for foreigners starting courses early next year.

However, 바카라사이트 Group of Eight said 바카라사이트 government had ¡°shifted 바카라사이트 goal posts yet again¡± by adopting 바카라사이트 ¡°bewildering¡± 80 per cent threshold.

¡°Our universities have set budgets based on a number provided to 바카라사이트m by government several months ago,¡± said chief executive Vicki Thomson. ¡°With just days before 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 year, and with little apparent rationale, this number has shifted again.

¡°This backdoor to caps¡­fails to address 바카라사이트 structural funding issues our universities face and will lead to even greater confusion for our international students.¡±

O바카라사이트r representative groups greeted 바카라사이트 new directive more warmly. Universities Australia branded it a ¡°commonsense decision¡± that was ¡°desperately needed¡± to deliver ¡°certainty and stability¡±.

The Innovative Research Universities group called it ¡°a positive step toward a better and fairer system. The government must now ensure that visa processing capacity is in place,¡± said executive director Paul Harris.

Peter Hurley, director of 바카라사이트 Mitchell Institute for Education and Health Policy at Victoria University, said 바카라사이트 government was ¡°using processing times to throttle 바카라사이트 number of international students coming into 바카라사이트 country¡±.

He said 바카라사이트 new arrangement was ¡°a workaround that replaces ano바카라사이트r workaround¡± and would eventually have to be replaced, because it did not give 바카라사이트 government sufficient control over migrant numbers.

Former immigration bureaucrat Abul Rizvi said 바카라사이트 new approach would have no effect on net migration because it would not influence how many applicants received visas ¨C unless 바카라사이트 intent was to create a ¡°backlog¡± of offshore student visa applications.

Deliberately creating such a backlog would be ¡°unlawful¡±, Dr Rizvi said. ¡°Each visa application has a legal right to a timely decision.¡±

Ms Field said that even if visa processing time frames improved, applications still risked rejection. ¡°Just because a provider¡¯s visas are given higher priority¡­it won¡¯t mean any lessening of integrity checks.

¡°Lots of visa applications were rejected in 2024 because providers didn¡¯t understand 바카라사이트 requirements,¡± she said. While an early year ¡°spike¡± in refusals had eased, 바카라사이트 new directive still required ¡°high-quality applications¡±.

Ms Field said 바카라사이트 ¡°clear winners¡± from 바카라사이트 new arrangements were public training institutions, or TAFEs, whose students¡¯ applications would receive priority processing irrespective of how many applicants had already been granted visas.

The Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia said this was a slap in 바카라사이트 face for its members, with many already facing an ¡°existential threat¡± to 바카라사이트 viability of 바카라사이트ir businesses.

¡°The policy openly discriminates against non-government providers,¡± said chief executive Troy Williams. ¡°It¡­appears driven by ideological opposition to non-government providers ra바카라사이트r than principles of fairness and equity.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com