The February 2010 reforms and the international student industry

In February 2010 the Australian Government announced a set of reform to the rules governing access to permanent residence visas and the temporary entry graduate skills visa (485) for overseas students who have completed courses in Australian universities and VET colleges. This article provides a history of Australian policy on the issue and an analysis of the likely impact of the new regulations. It concludes that the government has largely succeeded in de-coupling education in Australia from migration selection. As a result, it is likely that enrolments in the VET sector will shrink and that enrolments in the higher education sector will largely be confined to courses where students obtain qualifications that are of value in the country of origin. Copyright. Monash University and the author/s