The Albanese government has declined to act on a parliamentary committee’s recommendation to investigate whether regionally based universities should be allowed to operate city-centre campuses that overwhelmingly cater to foreign students. In its long-awaited response, published 13 April, the government merely “noted” concerns about teaching-quality oversight, arguing existing regulatory powers held by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency are sufficient. The decision is a relief for the 10 eastern-state regional universities that collectively earn nearly one-fifth of their income from international tuition fees – much of it generated at 17 metropolitan satellites in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. Consultants warn that any crackdown would have pushed several institutions into deficit just as visa-grant rates for South Asian students slump. Nevertheless, Home Affairs figures cited in the report show approval rates in February collapsed to 60 % for India and 49 % for Bangladesh, underscoring the volatile policy environment. Universities fear they are being whipsawed between immigration integrity drives and funding models that rely on overseas enrolments concentrated in big-city campuses. For corporate mobility teams the status quo means popular city-based pathway colleges will continue to funnel international students – and future skilled-migration candidates – into the labour market. But the mixed signals from Canberra reinforce the need for scenario planning around sudden shifts in provider eligibility or location-based incentives (such as regional work rights extensions). International offices should audit current study-sponsorship policies to ensure employees enrolling in metro campuses remain compliant if future reviews impose new location criteria.
Source: Times Higher Education
