Demands have been raised to implement stricter rules for international students in Australia to prevent abuse of the immigration system and accelerate the process of repatriating illegal residents. Under this new proposal, students arriving for higher education would be required to return to their home countries before applying for a subsequent course.

Senator Pauline Hanson, leader of the Australian political party ‘One Nation,’ made this demand in a statement today. She alleged that the country’s universities have become overly dependent on revenue from international students and have effectively become complicit in these irregularities. She noted that this mismanagement is partly responsible for the record 2.6 million temporary visa holders currently in Australia.

Senator Hanson stated that a large number of these individuals are utilizing housing and public amenities that should rightfully belong to genuine Australians. It is evident that for many students, the primary objective is not education, but rather exploiting loopholes in the system to benefit from Australia’s high wages and economic advantages.

The statement identifies the trend of frequently changing educational institutions as a major crisis. It is alleged that many international students abandon their original studies shortly after arriving in Australia on student visas and enroll in sham courses. During the interim period, they remain in the country for years on a special ‘bridging visa,’ which grants them the legal right to live and work there.

Citing government figures, the statement notes that this interim visa process takes an average of 200 days to complete. If an application is rejected, students file appeals or requests for reconsideration, a process that can take another 64 weeks to resolve. Many even apply for political asylum without valid grounds, simply because such applications can remain pending for up to three years; if rejected initially, they appeal again, thereby extending their stay in Australia to earn money.

In just the last three years, the number of international students holding these interim visas has surged from 13,000 to 107,000. Citing the example of Central Queensland University, Senator Hanson noted that the dropout rate for first-year international students there was 57.2 percent in 2023. She argued that the sole purpose of opening campuses in major cities like Sydney is to cash in on international students.

The One Nation party has proposed a new policy to address this situation. Under this policy, international students who drop out of their studies would not be granted interim visas to stay or work in Australia, nor would they have the right to appeal to the country’s Administrative Appeals Tribunal. The statement urged universities to reduce their reliance on international students and prioritize the education of local students.