Survey: New Rules Make Australia, Canada & UK Less Attractive to Int’l Students

A new survey has shown study destinations like Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom are becoming less appealing to international students due to policy changes and rising costs. The United States, on the other hand, is becoming more and more popular.

The latest edition of the Emerging Futures survey by IDP Education conducted between August and September 2024, revealed that Australia is losing popularity among international students, yet there is still interest among those who have submitted applications to enroll, Erudera.com reports.

Meanwhile, Canada is less popular now among both prospective and applied students, with the latter even considering their choice to study in the country due to visa delays and new student visa rules.

Nonetheless, according to findings, Australia remains a leading study destination for 24 percent of international students responding to the survey, followed by the US at 23 percent and the UK at 21 percent. On the other hand, Canada was chosen by only 16 percent, dropping to the fourth place.

The Australian government has announced it will cap the number of new international students starting next year, limiting it to a maximum of 270,000 students.

“Today the Government has announced that subject to the passage of legislation before the Parliament, it will set a National Planning Level (NPL) for new international student commencements of 270,000 for calendar year 2025,” the government said in a statement.

Data from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) showed that student visas dropped to 331,775 in the 2023/24 academic year, from 499,696 in the same period a year ago.

According to government data, the number of international students in Australia totaled 793,335 for the January-July 2024 period.

Similarly, Canada tightened restrictions for international students in January, announcing a two-year cap on study permits that would reduce the number of international students by 35 percent. Later this year, the government said it will reduce the number of international students by another 10 percent in 2025.

Overall, the number of international students with active study permits in Canada in 2023 exceeded one million, up 29 percent from 2022.

As part of the rules, Australia and Canada also raised the amount international students should have in available funds when applying for visas, to $19,535 and $14,945 per student, respectively.

In January, the UK introduced visa restrictions to most international students in a bid to reduce immigration, banning the latter from bringing their family members with them. The rules came into effect in January 2024.

Following the student ban, the UK saw fewer international students applying for study visas this year. According to the Home Office, the number of Sponsored Study visas dropped by 16 percent from January to September.