00:00With a dream of becoming a doctor, Ray Adrian moved from Sri Lanka to study medicine.
00:08But he's worried about others looking to make the same move.
00:12If you're a prospective international student wanting to study here in Australia,
00:16I think it's natural to feel a sense of confusion.
00:19Overnight, the government has changed the way international student visas will be processed.
00:24Under the new direction, there will be two categories, high priority and standard.
00:29When universities reach 80% of their government-set quota,
00:32which is different for each institution, the pace of visa approvals will slow.
00:37It'll prioritise visas for students going to those regional and smaller universities.
00:44Over the last year, regional universities saw a 33% reduction in international student commencements.
00:49But the top universities say the change runs the risk of confusing the international student market
00:55and makes Australia look too hard and too unwelcoming as a higher education destination.
01:02While Ray Adrian thinks today's change is a step forward,
01:05he agrees the long-running immigration debate has raised uncomfortable questions.
01:11Are we wanted here? Are we not wanted here?
01:13Net overseas migration is expected to reach 340,000 people this financial year,
01:19well above the previous forecast of 260,000,
01:23but still below the peak of 446,000 net arrivals last financial year.
01:29The universities are in crisis, frankly trying to deal with this policy chaos.
01:34The government had wanted to legislate international student caps,
01:38but the coalition effectively blocked it.
01:40Instead, this is Labor's Band-Aid solution amid sustained pressure from a fiery opposition
01:46blaming the housing crisis on high immigration.
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