In recent years, major destinations for international students such as Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada, have been facing housing crises exacerbated by a large influx of immigrants. Consequently, these countries have started to limit the number of new international students they accept. Coupled with concerns over the Chinese Communist regime’s theft of Western intellectual property, Western countries have restricted visas for Chinese students in sensitive fields, leaving the future of Chinese students’ study abroad prospects uncertain.
On September 18, the Canadian government announced further reductions in the number of study visas issued, restrictions on qualifications for spouses of some international students and temporary foreign workers to obtain work permits, and strengthened pre-travel visa checks to alleviate housing and employment issues caused by the increasing foreign population.
In January of this year, Canada announced that it would limit the number of international student placements over the next two years, with a 35% reduction in 2024 compared to 2023.
At the end of August, Australia announced plans to limit the enrollment of foreign students to 270,000 next year, a 16% decrease from 2023. More than half of the quotas will be allocated to public universities, while the rest will be distributed to private schools and vocational schools. The quota limits will be updated annually, with specific allocations to each school to be determined later.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Australia’s restrictions have had the greatest impact on universities such as the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney, where roughly half of the students are from overseas. Since 2018, the number of international students admitted has increased by about 40%.
On December 4, 2023, the UK government announced what is being termed as the strictest policy towards legal immigrants in history, including raising the wage threshold for work visas from £26,200 to £38,700, cancelling the right for undergraduate international students to bring family members, and requiring immigrants to pay higher medical fees, among other measures.
The newly elected Labour government, which took office in July, expressed a welcoming attitude towards international students in its campaign manifesto. However, Education Minister Bridget Phillipson stated in August that they do not intend to change current policies.
A survey of 60 UK universities showed that the number of sponsored visas decreased by over 30% compared to the previous year, while another survey found that the total number of foreign students in the UK had dropped by around 40%.
In Australia, Canada, and the UK, there is a growing perception that unqualified international students are abusing the system to work in these countries, leading to rising rents.
Chinese student Zhang Ailun studying at the University of Sydney told Epoch Times that Australia’s housing crisis is indeed due to the influx of international students, partly because rents fell during the pandemic, prompting many suburban workers to move into the city and occupy the housing originally rented by international students who were stranded overseas. With a large influx of international students after the pandemic, tenants moving into the city either due to unexpired leases or reluctance to relocate have led to a serious housing crisis.
Zhang Ailun pointed out that Australia does have a significant number of shadow institutes where international students abuse their study visas, not attending classes but working instead. Some are even bold enough to promote job opportunities on platforms like TikTok. “I’ve seen absurd cases where students attend school in Melbourne but work in Sydney, so enhancing scrutiny is quite normal.”
He said that the Australian government is also beginning to limit the number of international students at top universities. Essentially, this move aims to guide universities away from a profit-driven mindset, encouraging them to raise admission standards and improve overall student and teaching quality while also taking responsibility for the local community.
Zhang Ailun believes that the policy will not have a significant impact on most Chinese students genuinely seeking education abroad, as it may raise admission standards. However, this policy has indeed shut down the avenues for many individuals looking to work through study visas, making immigration more difficult for the average person.
British student Hu Xiao told Epoch Times that the tightening measures may only be a temporary policy, and there may be new initiatives in the future to alleviate housing and employment pressures.
“The current policy tightening may lead some students to choose against certain countries during the application stage. For example, in the UK, with a rise in work visa requirements and talk of canceling the Post-Study Work visa, although this claim may seem exaggerated, many individuals will prioritize other countries ahead of the UK upon hearing such news, only considering the UK when left with no other options.”
Hu Xiao stated that there is a negative perception of Chinese international students worldwide, attributed to the widespread cheating practices in China’s education system. Before even going abroad, there is a plethora of advertisements offering leaked test materials for exams like the IELTS, or proxy exams.
He mentioned that after going abroad for studies, it becomes difficult to write papers, take exams, or even complete regular assignments without encountering comprehensive cheating networks. Some individuals even offer to write papers for a fee, making cheating easy to catch but with solutions readily available to navigate the situation, resulting in a tarnished image for Chinese students studying abroad.
Hu Xiao emphasized that every country hopes to attract high-quality international students, rather than those who cheat or strive for degrees through questionable means, as higher difficulty levels help in screening out students lacking the necessary qualities.
Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US are considered mainstream study destinations. According to the 2023/24 China Study Development Report, the United States, the UK, Australia, and Canada rank as the top four most popular study destinations for Chinese students, with the United States hosting 289,526 Chinese students, followed by the UK (158,665), Australia (140,111), and Canada (100,075).
Hu Xiao stated that Chinese students prefer prestigious universities, usually opting for the best universities in the most developed countries, with the US always being the top choice. As admission requirements for Australian universities are relatively lenient, some may perceiv…