Foreign students’ numbers arriving in Australia continue to rise

Foreign education industry of Australia has remained unaffected as successful applications for international students entering the country rose steadily. Official Immigration Department’s latest report revealed that student and temporary graduate visas have risen as many students from countries such as Brazil, China, Colombia and Nepal are expressing increasing interest in studying in the Land Down Under. The number of foreign students wanting to enter Australia from the beginning of 2017 to this summer rose to a new high of 356,000. It was averred that a change in visa processing regime in July would affect the inflow of students as many applicants were subjected to stricter scrutiny. In addition, apprehensions regarding migration and terrorism across the world also heightened the fears of education industry of Australia. The Australian quotes Phil Honeywood, a foreign education expert, as saying that credit could be partly attributed to the government as student visa approvals were given preference depending on the dates of course commencements. Earlier, applications were processed on the basis of the dates on which visa applications were received. He added that as only a few foreign educational institutions went out of business, this improved the image of Australia in the eyes of the parents of aspiring foreign students and education agents. Honeywood, however, admitted that Australia also gained because of Donald Trump’s anti-immigration posturing and the effect Brexit has had on United Kingdom’s education sector, making students flock in large numbers to this country. Brazil has now become the third largest source market for foreign students while Nepal became the fourth largest. The number of Malaysian and Columbian students entering Australian shores had also increased. But the application numbers from students of India, South Korea and Thailand declined by 9 percent, 10 percent and 14 percent, respectively. Honeywood was of the view that fall in demand from India was due to the effect of demonetisation, which, according to him, was a temporary blip. On the other hand, he felt that students from South Korea and Thailand preferred China of late. If you are looking to study in Australia, contact Y-Axis, one of the foremost immigrant consultancy companies, to apply for a student visa from one of its several global offices.