Overseas students treated as “resources, mistakes, or liabilities” not young people looking for opportunity, write Cate Gilpin and Abul Rizvi
Cate Gilpin and Abul Rizvi
This article has been republished from Campus Review. First published on May 19, 2025.
The federal government’s recent decision to again raise the international student visa application fee to $2,000 has reignited concerns about the country’s approach to international education.
This will be the second increase to this fee in the last 12 months, the previous increase was from $710 to $1600 in July, 2024.
While the policy has drawn sharp criticism – from student groups who see it as an additional and unfair financial burden on international students, and from universities worried about a potential decline in enrolments, lost revenue, and potential staff cuts – it’s important to recognise that the precarity and chaos in the international education space is not solely the result of government decisions.
Universities also share significant responsibility. International students contribute over $48 billion annually to Australia’s economy, strengthening the higher education sector and enriching local communities. Yet, many of them find themselves in immigration limbo after graduation.
Attracted by promises of a high-quality education and potential pathways to permanent residency, these students often encounter a disconnect between what universities promote and the reality of Australia’s migration policies.
The higher education sector may prefer to distance itself from immigration debates, but the reality is that international students account for 40 to 50 per cent of net migration, making them central to those discussions.
Too many education providers and their agents use the lure of work rights and permanent residence to attract students, but care little about them once they have paid their tuition fees.
To attract the best students, we need to become a country known for the quality of education we deliver and the support we provide to them.
Public and political discourse has also increasingly framed international students as contributors to housing shortages and job competition.
This unfairly shifts blame onto these students and distracts from deeper systemic issues in education and migration policy.
It also ignores the significant cultural and economic value these students bring to Australian society.
Moreover, there is a growing tendency to overlook the humanity of international students. Recruitment strategies often promise futures that universities alone cannot deliver, leaving students stuck in long-term visa limbo.
Simultaneously, political and media narratives treat them as burdens or problems, contributing to social decline.
In this way, international students are too often cast as resources, mistakes, or liabilities, rather than as young people pursuing education and opportunity and paying a high price for the chance.
International students are not to blame for the structural problems they face. They are not simply economic units, nor the root cause of housing or labour challenges.
They are individuals seeking growth, belonging, and a future in Australia. Supporting their aspirations enhances Australia’s international standing and strengthens our social and cultural fabric.
Policies such as raising visa application fees and applying international student caps do nothing to help students understand what they need to study to secure permanent residence, nor does it help them identify high quality courses that Australian employers value.
Large numbers of students and former students in immigration limbo is a very poor outcome for all concerned.
Beyond raising or decreasing visa fees, the benefits and opportunities lie in collaboration, to truly build a sustainable, inclusive and beneficial international education sector.
Government and universities must work together to align international education with fair and sustainable migration policies.
This includes providing clear, honest communication about post-study prospects and ensuring students are not left in precarious situations after graduation.
To move forward, the government must prioritise coordinated, long-term policy, which is grounded in fairness, transparency, and sustainability.
This includes continuing the development of an International Education and Skills Strategic Framework, as recommended in the Australian Universities Accord. This would enhance the quality and integrity of the international education sector, manage sustainable growth, and align the sector with the national skills agenda and migration initiatives.
But this cannot be the work of government alone. Universities must be active partners in this process –reforming recruitment practices, ensuring students are properly supported, and aligning course offerings with labour market needs.
The sector has a responsibility not just to attract students, but to deliver on the expectations it sets. It is only through genuine collaboration that Australia can build an international education system that is ethical, sustainable, and globally respected.
Cate Gilpin is coordinator of Welcoming Universities, a network that aims to build inclusion and belonging in the higher education sector.
Abul Rizvi is an expert in immigration policy and is a former deputy secretary of the Department of Immigration and deputy secretary of the Department of Communication.
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