Japa: Australia Introduces Stricter Visa Regulations for Nigerian Students, Others

In a bid to reinforce its visa regulations, the Australian Government has unveiled new measures targeting Nigerian students and other international applicants.

According to Reuters, starting this Saturday, there will be heightened English language proficiency requirements for student and graduate visas. Additionally, the government will be empowered to suspend education providers found repeatedly violating regulations concerning international student recruitment.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil emphasized, “The actions this weekend will continue to drive migration levels down while delivering on our commitments in the migration strategy to fix the broken system we inherited.”

To further deter individuals seeking primarily to work rather than study in Australia, a new “genuine student test” will be introduced. Moreover, “no further stay” conditions will be applied more extensively to visitor visas.

This move follows a series of measures implemented last year to revoke COVID-era concessions introduced by the former government, such as unrestricted working hours for international students. The government had then announced plans to tighten rules, potentially halving migrant intake over two years.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia had temporarily increased its annual migration numbers in 2022 to address labor shortages. However, this led to heightened pressure on the rental market due to an influx of foreign workers and students.

Recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed a 60% surge in net immigration, reaching a record 548,800 in the year ending Sept. 30, 2023, surpassing the 518,000 recorded in the previous year ending June 2023. Consequently, Australia’s population experienced a rapid 2.5% growth to 26.8 million people by September last year, marking the fastest pace on record.