Universities woo back crucial student market

Chinese student visa holders are being encouraged to return, with uni chiefs confident tensions between Beijing and Canberra will not affect retention rates.

About 65 per cent of 123,000 Chinese enrolled at Australian universities are stranded overseas.

More than 80,000 Chinese ­student visa holders are being encouraged to return to Australian campuses next year, with university chiefs confident tensions between Beijing and the Morrison government will not affect retention rates.

After Scott Morrison eased international border restrictions to bolster university enrolments and fill labour shortages, Australian universities indicated they would focus on wooing back the nation’s largest international student market to avoid a drop-off in numbers.

About 65 per cent of 123,000 Chinese enrolled at Australian universities are stranded overseas.

Senior university and government officials are confident that ongoing tensions with Beijing and threats to cripple Australia’s tourism and international student sectors would not negatively affect the students.

Home Affairs Department data shows China tops the list of primary student visa holders ahead of India, Nepal, Vietnam and Malaysia. Combined Chinese and Indian student numbers account for ­almost half of Australia’s 408,000 international student visas.

After the Therapeutic Goods Administration recently approved Chinese and Indian vaccines, Education Minister Alan Tudge said he expected Chinese students would “return in line with students from other countries”.

“We have high quality institutions, an unmatched quality of life and competitive visas. I note that overall enrolments from China are down only 7.5 per cent since 2019 when the average is 17 per cent,” Mr Tudge said.

University sources said Chinese students were considered more ­resilient and better at adapting to remote tuition and that enrolments had held up relatively well compared to other countries.

Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson said the value of international students was more than “just the impact they have on the economy and employment, though their $3.1bn annual economic contribution and support for 250,000 jobs is important”.

Mr Morrison on Monday announced new travel bubbles with Japan and South Korea and confirmed more than 200,000 visa holders, including economic migrants, students and refugees, will be allowed into Australia from next Wednesday.

Travellers will need to be fully vaccinated and adhere to state and territory health orders, with NSW, Victoria and the ACT not requiring quarantine for overseas visitors. Under the new border rules, travellers who can prove they have not been vaccinated for medical reasons and children under 12 can travel to Australia.

The Prime Minister said the return of skilled workers and students was a “major milestone in our pathway back”.

“It’s about what Australians have been able to achieve and enabled us to do. It’ll mean a lot for the economies of our country … who need those workers and want to see those students return,” Mr Morrison said.

KPMG chief economist Brendan Rynne said an additional 40,000 skilled working-age migrants would boost GDP up to $4.7bn by the end of the decade.

“During 2021 Australia has seen a net outflow of population of around 180,000 and over time, if continued, this would have a serious economic effect,” Dr Rynne said.

Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott said ending “Fortress Australia” would help businesses find workers and keep their doors open.

“You can’t employ hundreds of Australians on a construction job if you don’t have a surveyor and you can’t deliver an infrastructure pipeline without engineers. Our education and training system is building a strong pipeline of talent for Australia, but it can’t deliver highly skilled workers overnight,” Ms Westacott said.

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said the return of skilled visa holders and students would “expose the ongoing inconsistencies with our state borders and quarantine rules”.

“The majority of other countries have opened to the world more quickly than us and we are competing with one arm tied behind our back,” he said.

Tourism Minister Dan Tehan said he expected Chinese students would return to Australia. “One of the things that we’ve seen throughout the pandemic is that Chinese student online enrolments have held up incredibly well,” Mr Tehan said.