The Government is Cutting Visa Fees for International Students But is it Enough?

The Prime Minister has asked them to “come on down”, but an international student says it’s not quite that easy.

The Federal Government has announced visa charges will be refunded for international students and backpackers as Australia struggles with the Omicron wave.

The move is hoped to attract them back to the country to help reinvigorate the economy and help subside the effects of critical worker shortages.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports more than 55,000 international students are expected to take advantage of the fee refund scheme in the coming months.

The rebates will see the $630 fee for international students covered for the next eight weeks and the $495 for working holiday makers fee covered for the next 12 weeks.

If you're thinking about studying in Australia, we've written The Ultimate Guide to Aussie Life for International Students.

The Chamber of Commerce labelled the move a good start, as reported by the ABC, and many universities have welcomed the announcement after what can only be described as a tough few years.

However, some students say it's "not enough".

Yiying Li, an international student at Curtin University, came to Australia on a working visa before studying a masters in journalism.

She says she loves her new home because the people are friendly and the weather is beautiful, but she believes the government could be doing more to help.

“On top of the visa fees, flights are limited and prices and COVID infections are sky-high,” she says.

Yiying says the visa rebates just don't measure up against the amount international students pay for their own insurance and living expenses. 

 “We are paying exactly the same tax as Australian residents. At the same time we also pay up to four times more fees at university than domestic students,” she says.

She says despite this, universities are very helpful with providing financial hardship support toward tuition.

Vic Rollison via Twitter

The news comes on the back of the government last week announcing the 40-hour per fortnight working cap would be removed for foreign students, which Yiying says comes with pros and cons.

She says the extra hours are good for covering her expenses, but it's not viable long-term.

"On a student visa, the study is full time. Which means you really don't have much spare time to work, to be honest,” she says.

All international students in Australia can now work an unlimited number of hours - effective till April 2022.

I am not entirely sure it is such a good idea: they have limited medical and social support in AU compared to locals, + they come to study, not work. pic.twitter.com/MjgkU1mh88

— Stephanie (@yesmukanova) January 19, 2022

Yiying is not the only one who says the government could be doing more.

At the start of the pandemic, the Morrison Government received heavy backlash for not offering immediate assistance to foreign students who lost their jobs due to lockdowns.

She says it would be helpful if the support continued after the initial visa fee refund because an international student will often apply for another visa when that one expires.

In his announcement, the Prime Minister said foreign students working and being trained in health and aged care would be "incredibly helpful".

But Yiying hopes international students can be valued on what they bring to Australian culture, not the economy.

Header Image: Nataliya Vaitkevich via Pexels