Canberra's cap on overseas student visas carries costs

Significance Additional reforms now being considered by parliament would limit the number of overseas students enrolled in publicly funded universities and colleges to 270,000 in 2025, 53,000 fewer than this year’s intake. As Australia has the highest ratio of international students of any nation other than Luxembourg, enrollment changes are economically significant. Impacts Reduced earnings will threaten the viability of some education providers and erode export earnings. Universities will struggle to attract foreign academics as their global rankings decline. Research cutbacks threaten to undermine Australia’s intellectual and industrial capacity.