Canberra, Australia

Australia significantly increased the fees for international students, more than doubling it from AUD 710 ($473) to AUD 1,600 ($1,068). The latest move, effective from July 1, aims to rein in migration that is at an all-time high which is causing intensive pressure on an already tight housing market. 

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The latest move by the Anthony Albanese government is bad news for Indian students, who form the second-largest population of international students in Australia.

Continuing to curb migration, the government also announced that visitor visa holders and students with temporary graduate visas will be banned from applying onshore for a student visa effective from July 1.

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"The changes coming into force today will help restore integrity to our international education system, and create a migration system which is fairer, smaller and better able to deliver for Australia," Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said in a statement.

Australia takes steps to curb migration amid restrained housing market. How Indian students will be affected?

As per official data, in March, the net immigration rose to 60 per cent to a record 548,800 people in the year up to Sep 3, 2023. 

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The latest steps will hurt lot of Indian students planning to move to Australia besides those who are on temporary graduate visas. 

The Australian government data shows that a significant number of Indian students - about 100,009 in 2022 were enrolled in various Australian institutions. Additionally, 1.22 lakh Indian students were studying in Australia in the Jan-Sep 2023 period.

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The fee increase makes applying for an Australian student visa more expensive than in other countries like the US and Canada, where fees are approximately $185 and CAD 150 ($110), respectively, reported Reuters. 

The government said it is also looking into dealing with all the loopholes in visa rules that earlier allowed foreign students to continuously extend their stay in Australia. 

The recent curbs are part of a wider crackdown on immigration by the Australian government. In March, the Australian government tightened the English language requirements for the same reasons. The amount of savings for international students in need of getting a visa was also raised in May to AUD 29,710 ($19,823) from AUD 24,505 ($16,146)- the second such increase in about seven months. 

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A major chunk of the Australian economy relies on international student fees, it remains to be seen how the Australian government will balance out immigration curbs and economic stability. 

International education is one of Australia's largest industries and was worth AUD 36.4 billion to the economy in the 2022-2023 financial year.

(With inputs from agencies)