120,000 foreign student family and partner visa arrivals under Labor amid cost of living crisis

More than 120,000 arrivals of the family of foreign students have been recorded under the Albanese government, with one in five not undertaking study.

Opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan says the large number of secondary student visa holders is further evidence of the mismanagement of the system

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More than 120,000 arrivals of ­relatives of foreign students have been recorded using special visas under the Albanese government, with one in five not taking part in any education.

Tens of thousands of recipients of the so-called secondary student visas have swept into Australia because a relative or spouse is studying here, the new figures show.

The large numbers of family members of overseas students linked to Australia’s education system have sparked a savage response from the opposition amid the cost-of-living crisis and the tight demand for housing.

The Department of Home Affairs figures from the election of the Albanese government to March this year show up to nearly 9000 people a month arrived on secondary student visas.

The special visas allow members of a family unit of a student visa holder access to Australia.

This was after student visa work limitations were relaxed throughout the pandemic to allow primary and secondary visa holders to work over their normal limit of 40 hours per fortnight. The government said this was to address labour shortages and help deal with the Covid-19 fallout.

Shadow immigration spokesman Dan Tehan said the number of secondary student visa holders was further evidence of the mismanagement of the system.

“The reason Labor will significantly overshoot its migration target of 395,000 arrivals is because Labor has failed to properly manage our migration system,’’ he said. “Labor always makes a mess of immigration. Labor boasted about the extra funding and resources they were throwing at visa processing, but were they doing the proper due diligence to ensure the system was not being abused? The answer is clearly no.’’

MacroBusiness chief economist Leith van Onselen said the numbers were further evidence of divergent aims of the Reserve Bank and the federal government. While the RBA was trying to slow down the economy the government was growing demand, he said, adding that when there were overseas arrivals they needed somewhere to live, placing further pressure on existing and future ­resources.

The arrival numbers do not relate to the total number of people because a single person can arrive multiple times to Australia.

The federal government is under intense pressure over the net overseas migration intake, with the Coalition planning to cut the intake to 160,000 next year if elected, 100,000 lower than the government’s forecast.

The issue is seen as being potent among many voters fighting cost-of-living issues.

But the overseas student industry is also one of the biggest export earners, particularly in Victoria.

The Australian revealed last week that almost 210,000 foreigners were granted pandemic event visas by the Albanese government well after the crisis ended, raising further questions about Labor’s ability to manage its migration targets.

The figures showed that about 90,000 of those who received the visa since Labor was elected and had reached the end of their permit timeframe remained in the country, either on a new visa class or while awaiting the outcome of a new visa application.

Only 17,000 of this cohort – or about 20 per cent – left the ­country since their pandemic visa expired.

In a response to Liberal senator Paul Scarr, the Home Affairs Department said that student visa holders already working in the aged care sector were given the opportunity in 2023 to work full-time.

Where the course of study for the primary visa holder is at the masters or doctoral degree level, secondary student visa holders can work for more than 48 hours a fortnight.

Response was sought from the Home Affairs Department.