Minister Issues New Directive to Cut International Student Numbers into Australia

New ministerial direction limits international student numbers with revised forecast pushing net migration to 340,000.

Tertiary students at the University of Melbourne in Melbourne, Australia, on May 8, 2012. AAP Image/Julian Smith

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has issued a new ministerial direction to limit international student numbers after a previous direction was deemed unfair for regional universities.

The move is part of the government’s attempts to stem immigration into the country after a proposed cap on students failed to pass the Senate in November.

So rather than legislate the cap into the law, the government has used a work-around and asked immigration officials to slow down visa processing.

Under the new Ministerial Direction 111, officials will prioritise student visa applications for up to 80 percent of a university’s allocated cap—the one supposed to be legislated.

Once the 80 percent threshold has been reached, the application process will slow down. This is to give smaller universities or TAFEs time to catch up on processing students.

The issue with the previous Ministerial Direction 107 was that it prioritised student applications for “lower risk” universities, meaning bigger providers like the Group of Eight would benefit, while smaller education providers were more likely to see applications rejected.

Initially, this Direction was given to try weed out dodgy providers or education agents.

Education Minister Jason Clare said the new Direction would benefit regional, suburban, and TAFE institutions.

“It shouldn’t just be the big inner-city unis that benefit from international education,” he said.

“TAFEs, regional and suburban unis should benefit too, and this new approach will help us do that.”

The removal of this directive was praised by the university sector.

“MD107 has wreaked havoc, stripping billions from the economy and causing serious financial harm to universities, especially those in regional and suburban areas,” said Universities Australia CEO Luke Sheehy.

“Internationalisation and international students are critical to our economy, society, and universities. They should never have been used as pawns in political battles over migration and housing.”

Migration Forecast Adjusted Amid Slowing Departure Rates

The Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) update showed that while new arrivals have decreased, the rate of migrant departures has been slower than anticipated.

Net overseas migration is now projected to reach 340,000 this financial year, 80,000 higher than initially forecasted.

The MYEFO predicts net migration will moderate to 225,000 in 2026/27 and 2027/28.

Coalition Slams Government Over Migration Failures

Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan criticised the Albanese government for failing to curb net overseas migration.

“Labor has consistently overshot their migration forecasts because of their failure to manage immigration,” Tehan told Sky News.

The Coalition has pledged to reduce permanent migration from 185,000 to 140,000 if elected. Net overseas migration for FY2024 is expected to be 446,000, down from 536,000 in FY2023.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor also condemned Labor’s handling of migration.

“We have been very clear about bringing those numbers down in both arrivals and departures. It’s very simple, it’s not complicated,” he told Sky News.

“The fact that it has taken two and a half years for Labor to work out that net overseas migration is a function of both arrivals and departures ... tells you that they don’t have a clue.”

Minister for Skills and Training Andrew Giles was critical of the opposition’s earlier decision not to support legislating student caps.

“It is astounding that Peter Dutton and the Liberals would oppose international student caps. We are making tough decisions to ensure integrity and certainty for our international education sector.”