Record Number of International Students in Australia in February

The number of international students in Australia surpassed 700,000 in February 2024 for the first time in the country’s history, the government’s latest data reveals.

According to the Home Affairs Department data, Australia is currently home to 713,144 international students, an all-time high, bringing the total number of temporary entrants to 2.8 million.

The figure has increased by 7.3 percent compared to last September’s record, when 664,178 international students were in the country, Erudera.com reports.

The table below shows the number of international students in Australia during various periods in recent years, according to the official statistics.

Differently, the available data indicate the period with the lowest number of international students recorded was December 2021. Back then, 315,949 international students were living in Australia.

The government released earlier the number of international students for the January 2024 period, showing it totaled 567,505, an increase of 26 percent from the same period in 2023. China continued to be the primary source of international students this January, leading with 115,415, followed by India with 97,152 and Nepal with 45,152 students.

Drop in Visa Applications

Despite the record number in February, data has also revealed a shift in visa applications between December and February, which have declined for the first time in over two years. At the same time, approval rates have dropped to 82 percent, a significantly lower figure compared to the past years when approval rates stood at 90 percent or higher.

Commenting on the numbers, Former Deputy Secretary of the Immigration Department, Abul Rizvi, said that the government may have to do more to reduce the numbers. He told The Guardian that the government’s migration policy tackles more permanent than temporary migration.

In an attempt to fix its immigration system, Australia has tightened visa rules for international students and low-skilled workers. Under the new rules, which took effect on March 23, the English-language requirements for student visas have increased from IELTS 5.5 to 6.0 and for graduate visas from IELTS 6.0 to 6.5.

“The actions this weekend will continue to drive migration levels down while delivering on our commitments in the Migration Strategy to fix the broken system we inherited,” Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security Clare O’Neil​ said in a statement on March 21.

Additionally, the new regulation gives the government the power to stop education providers from contributing to the recruitment of international students if they constantly violate these rules.

Most recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the number of international students in higher education topped 44,740 in January 2024 alone, returning to 2019 levels.