Australia Closes Dual Study Visa Loophole for Overseas Students

SYDNEY, Aug 26 (Reuters) – The Australian government said on Saturday it would close with immediate effect a loophole in its visa rules that allowed international students to enroll in cheaper vocational courses as soon as they arrived in the country.

International students can take additional courses alongside their foundation studies, called a “concurrent study” rule, which is designed to help prepare them for the job market through short courses.

But the government said recent investigations have identified that many were abusing this rule to drop their university courses and switch permanently to cheaper courses.

There has been strong uptake in the use of concurrent study, with 17,000 concurrent enrollments created in the first half of 2023 versus 10,500 for the same period in 2019 and 2022 combined, the data showed.

“This change will serve to prevent predatory ‘second’ providers from enrolling students before they have studied for the required six months at their first provider,” Education Minister Jason Clare said in a statement.

International education is Australia’s fourth largest export industry and maintaining the integrity of the sector was critical to the country’s economy, Clare said.

The government will also increase the amount of savings international students will need to obtain a student visa. From October 1, overseas students will need to show evidence of savings of A$24,505 ($15,693), an increase of 17% from current levels, to account for increased living expenses.

($1 = 1.5615 Australian dollars)

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