Higher education in Canada, Australia gets tougher
Following an announcement in January that the number of student visas issued will be curtailed in the coming years -- mostly due to an acute housing crisis -- the Canadian government last month announced detailed plans for allocations of international students for each province and territory.In a statement, Marc Miller, the Canadian minister for immigration, refugees, and citizenship, explained that the previously announced cap of 360,000 student visas has been further reduced to around 292,000. This reduction came after adjustments were made based on the expected number of students who would renew their study permits, the number of primary and secondary school and post-graduate level students who are exempt from the cap, and revisions for each province based on their current immigration situation.These considerations have resulted in substantial reductions in the projected number of student permits issued by Ontario, British Columbia, and Manitoba -- three provinces that are popular destinations for international students, including students from Bangladesh.Ontario -- home to Canada's largest city, Toronto -- is projected to approve 62 percent less student permits in 2024 compared to 2023. This is significant as universities in this province enroll a large number of international students, including Bangladeshi students, and the Greater Toronto Area hosts a sizable Bangladeshi diaspora. In 2024, Ontario will issue permits to around 91 thousand students, a decrease of almost 150 thousand from 2023.The same can be said about British Columbia, home to Vancouver, and Manitoba and Winnipeg, where the projected number of student permits are set to reduce by 47 and 16 percent, respectively. In British Columbia, this translates to a reduction of around 28 thousand, while the number in Manitoba is set to decrease by just over 1600.
Across the globe on the other side, the Australian government too has set their eyes on international students in a move to curb immigration.
In December, Australia announced a host of changes to requirements for international students seeking higher studies. The minimum requirement for English proficiency was raised to a score of 6.0 in the IELTS from 5.5. Further, students will have to face the Genuine Student Test (GST) as part of their visa interview, as the Australian government wants to crack down on students who travel to the country with a student visa to study at an expensive or prestigious university, but then enroll in non-university education providers known as "ghost colleges" to primarily engage in work.In a recent development, the Albanese government in Australia has raised financial requirements for study in Australia. Earlier this month, the minimum financial requirement was raised to A$29,710. This was the second such announcement in under a year, as the requirement was raised to A$24,505 from A$21,041 in October, 2023.
SBS Australia reported that a host of countries who typically send international students to Australia, including India, China, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Malaysia, will be affected by these changes the most.
These decisions by Canada and Australia, two of the most popular destinations in the world for international students, signal a change in the strategy that saw record numbers of students travelling abroad for education after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Anindya Chowdhury, managing partner and CEO of Mentors' Study Abroad, thinks this is a logical reaction by these governments given the recent situations in their countries.
"Post Covid, all destinations were open to international students. Bangladeshi students were going in high numbers as well. But at the same time, the number of fake students, or students with bad academic profiles or subpar finances getting admission also rose. These students go abroad and struggle there. This has happened in Canada as well as Australia, and both countries are suffering from housing crises. Student retention in universities has also become an issue," he said.
While students have a tendency to react quite negatively to such news, Anindya Chowdhury's advice for them is to prepare themselves better.
"No countries have outright said "no" to international students. What they're saying is that they want genuine students, who have to be able to afford to study in their countries, through scholarships or personal finance. Students must develop their English language core, and parents must consider their finances carefully before embarking on this journey," he added.
These restrictions, however, have not stopped Bangladeshi students from pursuing education abroad. Shafaat Razin, a student at SFX Greenherald School who has secured a scholarship at York University in Toronto, recounted his journey.
"The whole process, including getting the Provincial Attestation Letter (one of the new requirements) was surprisingly easy. The university asked for an initial deposit of 1500 Canadian dollars, and they sent me my letter within two days," he said.
He reiterated the importance of having solid financial backing and genuine motivation to attain an education, "Most people who got their visa rejected, as I have noticed, are either due to financial reasons, or they have failed to convince the visa officer to clear their motives."
Farabi Rudro, a high school graduate from St Joseph Higher Secondary School, who has secured admission to Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), stressed that it's important to be familiar with the process so every step along the way is executed correctly.
"I had good guidance from the start. So, I knew to apply for the PAL directly to my university, whereas I know some students who did it differently and their PAL didn't arrive even after the university accepted them," he said."I was in contact with a teacher at TMU who helped me make sure my student profile including financial information was strong enough so that the chance of visa rejection could be minimised," he added.
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