達頓承諾削減8萬留學生 大幅上調簽證申請費 | 削減留學生 | 留學澳洲 | 聯盟黨 | 大紀元

Key Proposal: Reducing International Student Intake

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's plan aims to decrease the number of international students by 80,000 to address Australia's housing crisis. This involves setting a new cap on student numbers.

Increased Visa Fees

The proposal includes a substantial hike in student visa application fees. Fees for students at Australia's eight leading universities will nearly triple, rising from AU$1600 to AU$5000. Other universities will see fees increase to AU$2500, with an additional AU$2500 fee for students who wish to transfer institutions.

Addressing the Housing Crisis

Dutton frames the reduction in student numbers as a core strategy to tackle the housing shortage. The plan also includes a 25% cut to the permanent immigration program and a temporary ban on foreign investors and temporary residents from purchasing existing homes.

• A 25% increase in national median weekly rental prices since the last election is cited as evidence of the urgency of the situation.
• The Coalition plans to limit international students entering public universities to 115,000 annually and those entering vocational education, private universities, and non-university higher education institutions to 125,000.
• A faster review of the 485 graduate temporary visa is promised to curb potential exploitation of the visa for gaining permanent residency.
• AU$5 billion will be invested in key infrastructure to restart stalled housing projects and build 500,000 homes.
• Homebuyers will be allowed to withdraw up to AU$50,000 from their retirement funds as a down payment.

Impact on Universities

The proposed changes are expected to significantly affect universities in major cities, especially the eight leading universities with high proportions of international students. The Coalition aims to reduce the international student proportion in certain courses from 80% to approximately 25%.