Australia is making changes to student visas to prevent non-genuine applications and ensure students work in jobs matching their skills. The post-study work visa for international students is reduced by two years, reverting to the original durations after recent extensions. Covid-19 concessions, like uncapped working hours, are ending.

The changes aim to enhance integrity in international education by closing loopholes, such as transferring to lower-quality providers, and increasing the required savings to A$24,505 (£13,000).

The government plans to introduce a "Genuine Student" test for international students, prioritising those who genuinely want to study in Australia. This test replaces the existing Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement. Efforts to scrutinise non-genuine student visa applications and prevent "visa-hopping" will be strengthened.

While post-study work visas are shortened, the application process is simplified, and transitions between student and graduate visas are expedited. The existing graduate visa routes will be streamlined into the "Post-higher Education Work" and "Post-Vocational Education Work" streams for clearer pathways.

These changes aim to ensure that graduates find roles matching their skill levels, addressing the issue of many working below their qualifications, especially in fields like engineering and IT.

Minimum English-language requirements for student and graduate visas will increase to IELTS scores of 6.0 and 6.5, respectively, starting in early 2024.

Temporary migrants, including students and graduates, make up to 39% of arrivals in Australia, becoming the second-largest migrant group after New Zealand citizens.