International recruiters in china are “fed up” with the Australian government’s attitude to immigration and are directing students to the US and UK instead, according to an Australian agent, John Findley. According to Findley, Australia is becoming less popular because of its exchange rate, high tuition fees, less attractive commissions for agents and the greater ease of securing visas to the US and UK. “All agents (in China) are fed up with our current government’s attitude to migration,” he said to The Australian.
This comment demonstrates the extent to which perceptions of government visa policy among students and agents can affect universities’ attractiveness. Yet despite Findley’s suggestion that the UK is among the nations taking Australia’s place in the overseas market, many in Britain are worried that changes to the Tier 4 visa system may also put off students.
Findley, whom The Australian describes as an education and migration expert who represents a range of providers, believes the US F-1 and British Tier 4 student visas are regarded as easier to obtain than Australia’s 573 student visa. “Australia is seen as second rate in the global education stakes. It gets the student business because the students see a pathway to migration,” he says.
In his interview with the daily, Findley says that all agency sales staff he had met at the recent Beijing International Expo were trying to get into their company’s US department. “The best recruiters are deserting Australia. All agencies, including (Australia’s biggest education broker) IDP, promote the US on their websites. These days, most make the US their headline offering; many are relegating Australia to third, or fourth behind New Zealand. Australia (used to be) the headline,” he says.
However, an IDP spokesman denies that the broker promotes the US ahead of Australia as a preferred higher education destination. “Australia is the main part of our business and will remain so. By offering the US as a destination, as well as Australia, we reach a far larger pool of students interested in international education,” says an IDP spokesman.
(Excerpted and adapted from Times Higher Education)