The Federal Government’s plan to slash visas for the families of foreign students will have a significant impact on Australia’s international education sector.
The change was unveiled as part of a suite of reforms aimed at reducing Australia’s net overseas migration intake
CCIWA Chief Executive, Will Golsby, said targeting the important international student market is a mistake.
“International education is a major contributor to Western Australia’s economy, creating one full-time job for every five international students,” Mr Golsby said.
“If those students are told they need to leave behind spouses and dependents for a three- or four-year degree, many will simply choose to study elsewhere.”
Mr Golsby said the spouses of students played an important role in the WA economy.
“We often see the spouses of international students taking on a job in key areas of skills shortage, including in the manufacturing, health care and hospitality sectors,” he said.
“WA is different to other states, and our economy is facing a significant skills crunch.
“The contribution of foreign students to our economy goes beyond the direct impact of their tuition fees.”
As part of the Government’s migration shake-up, backpackers who are in the country will be required to enter a ballot to stay for their second and third years.
“Backpackers are vital to our agriculture sector and take on a number of different jobs around regional Australia that can be hard to fill,” Mr Golsby said.
Mr Golsby said WA businesses would welcome the Government’s proposal to ensure priority was given to fast-track workers in key sectors, including construction, healthcare, resources and defence.
“There is a clear acknowledgement that our skilled migration system needs to be targeted to areas of real need in our economy, so we support measures that achieve this goal,” he said.
