Australia Lifts Foreign Student Visa Cap by 9%
The decision was announced by education minister Jason Clare. The move is a part of the government's recalibrated migration strategy, aimed at managing education sector growth, while also addressing housing and infrastructure pressures
Australian federal government announced it would raise the cap on international student enrolments by 9% in 2026, which would increase the intake to 2,95,000 from the current 2,70,000 limit set for 2025.
The decision was announced by education minister Jason Clare. The move is a part of the government's recalibrated migration strategy, aimed at managing education sector growth, while also addressing housing and infrastructure pressures. The policy is aimed at balancing sectoral growth with national interests.
The updated policy will give preference to student applicants from Southeast Asian nations. The shift in increasing student enrolment supports Australia's diplomatic efforts to deepen ties in the region and reduce economic reliance on China.
In 2024, the government double the student visa fees and introduced reforms to prevent continuous visa extensions. Hill said that the measures were already showing results and enabled the system to accommodate a modest increase in student intake for 2026.
Of the 295,000 placements, nearly two-thirds will be allocated to the university sector, with the remaining one-third reserved for vocational education and training (VET) providers.
