Expert Calls Australia's Education Industry an Immigration Scam That Helps Migrants to Work in the Country

Australia is being accused of easily accepting immigrants, especially international students who are offered to work and live in the country during their studies, Erudera.com reports.

In an article published by Macro Business Australia, the writer, Leith van Onselen who is a Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super, claims that by offering extended work rights and a low standard for university acceptance, Australia makes it easy for international students to want to reside in the country permanently.

To prove his point, Van Onselen brings up a statement of Gauravdeep Bumra, an Indian-based education consultant, who has affirmed on the matter by saying that students intend to be permanent residents through their education.

“Most Indian students choose to study abroad, often at the cost of thousands of dollars, because they have a long-term goal of getting permanent residency, be it in Australia, Canada, or the UK. As a result, most students stuck offshore have deferred their studies instead of choosing to complete their degrees online,” Bumra is quoted to have said.

Bumra also noted that once the borders open, the number of new international students granted education in Australia will increase.

According to Van Onselen, the government and the educational institutions are trying to make Australia a more attractive study destination for international students by lobbying along with universities, education, and migration agents.

Although more international students are supposed to bring quality, the latter are being used to maximize profits in rent and other expenses, stomping studies quality value level.

Just before the COVID-19 spread, Australia had a considerable number of international students, which was excelling compared to other countries – 2.5 times higher than the UK, three times higher than Canada, and five times higher than the US.

“The federal government must not allow this situation to persist (or worsen) and must force the education industry to compete on quality and value alone. It must stop the industry from debasing standards and profiteering from foreigners pursuing backdoor migration,” van Onselen writes.

The recommendations directed to the government regarding the situation highlight that Australia’s education system can be improved by raising entry standards to study at Australian institutions, lifting financial requirements needed to enter Australia, and removing the link between studying, work rights, and permanent residency.

These reforms aim to bring:

• improved student quality
• increased export revenue per students
• lower enrollment number to level with international norms
• lift teaching standards and experience for resident students

Erudera.com has previously reported that due to the COVID-19 situation, Australia could lose half of its international students since 101,628 students had to defer their registration.

Recently, international students in Australia pointed out that they have been suffering food insecurity, especially since the pandemic outbreak.

The 83 percent decrease of Indian, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani students has also contributed to the worsening situation. Since 2019, about 17,000 people have been fired from their jobs in Australia.