Tens of thousands of international students have been affected by the Australian government’s announcement. Young graduates in certain in-demand sectors such as nursing, engineering or IT can work longer in the area. This announcement is part of a series of measures aimed at welcoming more foreigners to the country. There had not been such a turnaround in migration policy in Australia since the end of the Second World War, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

“We have an incredible resource in this country: international students”, said Clare O’Neil, the Home Secretary. She announced this on September 2, 2022 of the Government Summit on Employment and Skills, that the country plans to take in 35,000 additional foreign students to bring their number to a total of 195,000 for the year 2022-2023. Therefore, in order to attract foreign students, the government will allow them to work longer in Australia after obtaining their diploma if they follow a course that corresponds to sectors that need manpower.

Which degree programs are affected will be determined in October 2022. Students can remain employed two years longer than before. They can now live in the country for four years after a bachelor’s degree, five years after a master’s degree and six years after a doctorate.

Another change: the government will look to reduce the time required to obtain a suitable visa at the end of the study. According to Catriona Jackson, chief executive officer of Australian universities, this waiting time can currently last almost ten months.

We damned engineers being reduced to Uber drivers! It’s not productive for them or for us. Canada, the UK and the US have rolled out the red carpet for them – they’re doing a lot better than we are at keeping these young people.”

Regarding student jobs, the government has decided to extend a measure decided during the pandemic. For now, students can continue to work more than 40 hours every two weeks, which was a cap not to be exceeded. However, this restriction will be reintroduced at the end of June 2023. “We have a labor shortage, but we must maintain the integrity of our education system. When people come to Australia to study, they are there to get an education and work should always come second.” explains Clare O’Neil.

Enthusiastic foreign students

According to the testimonies of international students collected by Australian news site sbs news, “This change is good for students and good for the Australian economy“. This explains Yeganeh Soltanpour, originally from Iran and the United Arab Emirates, who is enrolled in an MBA at the University of Adelaide in South Australia.

“It is extremely difficult to find a job related to our studies. Once employers understand that we are international students, they see us as temporary elements and they don’t want to […] train a new recruit with no guarantee that he can stay.”

According to Janageeth Logeswaran, a Sri Lankan student, many international students choose to study in Canada because it is easier to obtain a residency card there at the end of their studies. As a matter of fact, “16% of international students stay in Australia to work after their studies, compared to 27% in Canada,” highlighted The Sydney Morning Herald. “If the process here becomes so easy, I’m sure many talented students will not hesitate to choose Australia.” says the computer science student specializing in artificial intelligence at Flinders University in Adelaide. He wants to remain working in the country after graduating in 2024, which makes this announcement “Great news” for him.

Sally Wheeler, law professor at the Australian National University of Canberra, also believes in this measure “a step in the right direction“. She adds that the government should also encourage employers to hire international students. They are particularly interesting candidates because they have been trained “within the Australian education system”, emphasizes Janageeth Logeswaran.