International students arriving in ‘record numbers’, putting more pressure on housing

New reports show why the battle for some Aussies to find a place to live could get worse.

International students are returning to Australia in huge numbers, prompting fears for homeseekers in the midst of a housing crisis.

While student arrival numbers in July 2023 did not quite match the total for the same month in 2019, total student arrivals for 2023 are set to be the most on record for Australia.

Net international student intake between January and July in 2023 reached 258,880 students, some 25% higher than the previous record in 2018, according to the Institute of Public Affairs.

With so many students now arriving on Australian shores, people already desperate for a home are facing even more competition.

“Migration has and will continue to play a vital role in Australia’s economic and social life, but any intake must be properly planned for to ensure that the costs in our communities are minimised,” said Daniel Wild, Deputy Executive Director of the IPA.

Students are arriving from overseas in record numbers in 2023. Picture: Supplied

Sydney's rental crisis has reached new heights as renters complain of unfair price hikes. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

The fact numbers have skyrocketed in the past 12 months is causing concern amid a housing crisis which has left many Australians unable to find a home.

Vacancy levels in Sydney are lingering at around 1.5%, with Melbourne a slightly better 2.2% and Brisbane a shocking 1%.

A recent report revealed specialist student accommodation in Brisbane was completely full.

“Occupancy rates are at 100 per cent, there is definitely a shortage,” Adina Cirson, acting executive director of the Student Accommodation Council told The Courier Mail.

With specialist accommodation full or nearly full around the country, students are being pushed into the rental market to compete with everyone else.

People arriving into Australia at Sydney airport. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

After agreeing a deal with the Greens on Monday, the federal government is set to pass its $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund aimed at addressing the housing crisis,

The HAFF will include 30,000 new and affordable social homes to be built in the Fund’s first five years.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt announcing he had agreed a deal with the federal government to pass the Housing Australia Future Fund. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Critics argued competition for rentals would only get worse with huge numbers of students arriving. Source: Twitter

Critics such as Daniel Wild are saying the new bill does not go far enough to address the nation’s problems in the face of so many new arrivals.

“The federal government’s recently secured deal on the Housing Australia Future Fund is only a drop in the ocean, creating, at most, just 6,000 houses per year over the next five years, which is dramatically short of the forecast 252,000 housing shortfall over the next five years,” said Mr Wild.

In July 2023 alone, 131,640 international students arrived into Australia, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, nearly double the number which arrived in July 2022.