The number of international students applying for study visas from inside Australia has reached a record high, casting doubt on a crucial Labor pledge to control the post-pandemic explosion in foreign enrolments.
“It’s a mess,” said opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan, who also warned of the risk of future rises in bridging visas and bogus asylum claims. “If you look at Canada, the number of international students seeking asylum will only continue to grow.” Shadow cabinet is weighing up whether to reveal its net overseas migration target – which will be lower than Labor’s 250,000 – in Dutton’s speech on Thursday night. Final decisions will be made after Treasurer Jim Chalmers lays out his financial blueprint on Tuesday.
Some of the rise in onshore student visa applications can be attributed to the ending of the Morrison government’s pandemic visa that allowed more than 20,000 international students to work unlimited hours. Business groups were reluctant to bring this visa to an early end because it may have exacerbated worker shortages, highlighting theTehan said it was clear Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil would fail in her commitment to bring the migration number down to 375,000 this financial year.
O’Neil said Dutton and Tehan – who was education minister in the Morrison government – had years to fix the weaknesses in Australia’s migration system.
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