Immigration rule for international students who want to call Australia home set to ease

International students who want to live in Australia permanently will find it easier under the new government rules.

The Albanian government will in March abolish a rule preventing people from studying in Australia who say they want to move here permanently.

After immigration figures rose to a record 518,000 last year, Labor pledged to change the immigration framework this year to dramatically reduce those inflows to around half.

The new rule will be part of a ‘real student test’ aimed at filtering out foreigners who come to Australia on a student visa but plan to work instead.

The aim is to filter out those lying about their intentions in the country, while formalizing the process for a smaller number of genuine students looking to build a career in Australia.

Former top official Abul Rizvi said the rule change was sensible.

“I actually think the government should go further and say that one of the key objectives of the international student program is to recruit future Australians. That’s what it does. Why don’t you just say it?’ he told The Sydney Morning Herald.

Phil Honeywood, head of the International Education Association of Australia, who is also co-chair of the Council for International Education, said the change should help crack down on dodgy immigration brokers who skirt the rules.

“On the one hand, it has denied genuine students with in-demand skills (who) indicated they might like to migrate to Australia. And on the other hand, it was easy for education agents to advise students to give the correct answers,” he said.

Student visas are being refused at a much higher rate than last year as Labor works to reverse the damage to inflation, the housing market and rents after the floodgates opened to new immigrants in 2023.

Real estate research firm PropTrack said in a report released Tuesday that rents are unlikely to become more affordable in 2024.

“With rental housing volumes at historic lows and well below the decadal average, rental conditions are likely to remain challenging,” the report said.

“Given continued strong population growth and the low volume of new rental stock under construction, it is likely that competition for rental stock will remain significant.”

‘These conditions will be most prevalent in major capitals and regional areas with strong demand and limited supply, which is likely to keep rental prices under pressure.’

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Home Secretary Clare O’Neil are determined to rein in immigrant numbers, which will be done largely by cracking down on foreign students and immigration brokers who skirt the rules

The latest PropTrack Rental Report for December shows that the number of listings on realestate.com.au fell to a record low in December, 30.2 per cent below the average for the month.

Meanwhile, requests per ad increased 3.3 percent from 2023, bringing the average ad price to $580 per week.

Across the country, real estate investors have exited the market and while there has been a recovery, it is not enough to replenish the depleted housing stock.

As a result, rental vacancy rates have remained near a record low at 1.1 percent, down from 1.3 percent in December 2022, pushing prices higher.

Proptrack said: ‘The supply of rental properties is expected to remain low, while strong migration to Australia, especially from students, is likely to drive continued strong rental demand.’

‘From now on, we expect rental prices to continue to rise, especially in major capitals, due to continued low supply and strong demand, which is exacerbated by the rapid pace of population growth.’

“Although population growth is expected to slow, it will remain high this fiscal year and next.”

‘Tenants will increasingly look for smaller and cheaper homes or will be forced to live in a shared home to save on rental costs.’