&w=3840&q=100)
30% drop in student placements amid global visa crackdown? IDP rings alarm
What's going on?
'While elections have now been held in all key destination markets, policy uncertainty and negative rhetoric continues, while economic uncertainty has increased,' said IDP.
'Governments in all key destination countries are currently seeking to temporarily reduce migration levels, and economic and geopolitical uncertainty has increased,' the statement added.
IDP said this environment is making it harder for international students in the UK, Australia, Canada and the US.
• In the UK, the Immigration Policy White Paper released on May 12, 2025, has raised concerns about further restrictions on student immigration
• In Australia and Canada, policies remain tight, with further changes expected
• In the US, the environment for international students has become more challenging, with visa rejections rising and new visa appointments paused
UK adjusts student visa policies
The UK still allows the Graduate Route, though dependants are no longer permitted on student visas. IDP reported a 9% drop in visa issuance compared to last year.
The Immigration White Paper recommends higher salary thresholds and English language requirements for skilled worker visas, as well as a 6% levy on universities for enrolling international students. It also proposes reducing the Graduate Route from 24 months to 18 months.
Australia places caps and raises fees
In Australia, proposed permanent student caps were not passed, but visa processing has slowed as institutions reach their 80% 'soft cap' limits under Ministerial Direction 111. Visa fees rose from A$710 to A$1,600 in July 2024, with further increases on the table.
The government has also limited onshore applications, meaning more students must apply offshore. Graduate visas now have an age cap of 35, down from 50.
IDP said these changes have slowed offer turnaround times and affected enrolments.
Canada cuts work permits and student caps
In Canada, the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) has been restricted since November 2024 to students in high-demand occupations. Fast-track visa schemes such as the Student Direct Stream ended late last year.
Spousal open work permits are now only available to partners of students in fields like medicine and engineering.
IDP said visa issuance has plummeted by 65% in Canada this year, with a 10% cut in study permit numbers planned for 2025.
US visa pauses and Chinese student revocations
In the US, IDP said visa rejections have jumped sharply, and new visa appointments were halted temporarily on May 27, 2025, to allow for expanded social media checks.
The US government has also revoked visas for some Chinese students linked to critical fields or with ties to the Chinese Communist Party. IDP noted a 27% drop in US visa issuance compared to the previous year.
Key figures for the year so far, according to IDP:
• Australia: visa issuance down 10%
• United Kingdom: visa issuance down 9%
• Canada: visa issuance down 65%
• United States: visa issuance down 27%
• Student placement volumes down 28-30%
• Language testing volumes down 18-20%
'Challenging immigration conditions continue to weigh on demand,' IDP said.
The bigger picture: Global education faces a crossroad
Against this backdrop, Indian students are turning to new destinations like Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and Russia.
India's education ministry data showed the number of Indian students in Germany rose 68% to 34,702 in 2024, up from 20,684 in 2022. New Zealand saw a 354% jump, from 1,605 to 7,297. Ireland saw a 49% rise, and Russia 59%.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
6 minutes ago
- Hans India
‘K'taka must fully implement new State Education Policy'
Bengaluru: The Kannada Development Authority has welcomed the State Education Policy recently submitted to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, describing it as a landmark framework that could reshape school and higher education over the next decade. The policy, chaired by former UGC chairman Prof. Sukhadeo Thorat, was prepared by a commission of eminent scholars and educationists over two years, holding 132 meetings and conducting extensive data-based studies of Karnataka's education landscape. 'This is the first time Karnataka has such a comprehensive and forward-looking State Education Policy. If fully implemented, it will radically transform our schools and universities and prepare our younger generation for the challenges of a modern society,' said Prof. Purushottam Bilimale, Chairperson of the Kannada Development Authority. Key recommendations include improving the quality of teaching and learning, ensuring equal opportunities and participation, revising curricula, textbooks and evaluation methods, addressing inequities caused by privatisation, filling teacher vacancies within three years, tackling funding shortages in higher education, and promoting constitutional, civic and human values from the school level. The policy also addresses the medium of instruction debate, long contentious in multilingual India. It recommends a bilingual approach with Kannada and English, while allowing communities to study their mother tongues as first languages. 'What makes this policy significant is its balance — it ensures Kannada remains central to education while respecting linguistic diversity. It is not exclusionary, and could serve as a model for the country,' Prof. Bilimale explained. Special measures have been proposed to set up language training centres, translation hubs, and strengthen Kannada under the 2015 Kannada Learning Act. The framework also acknowledges the rights of Urdu and other linguistic minorities to retain their languages while mandating Kannada as either a first or second language. Calling it 'a game-changer for Karnataka,' Prof. Bilimale urged the government to implement the recommendations fully rather than selectively. 'The comprehensive nature of this policy is its greatest strength. If the government acts decisively, Karnataka's education sector can emerge as a national model,' he said.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
36 minutes ago
- First Post
Why Trump hiked India tariffs but extended truce with China for Russian oil: Rubio cites Beijing's supply chain role
Rubio has defended Washington's decision to impose additional tariffs on India for continuing to import Russian oil, while sparing China from similar measures, warning that sanctioning Beijing could push up global energy prices. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has acknowledged that targeting China with s econdary sanctions for refining Russian oil could drive up global energy prices, defending Washington's decision to impose additional tariffs on India for continuing to import crude from Moscow while granting Beijing an extended reprieve. Speaking to Fox News on Sunday (August 17), Rubio explained why China, Russia's largest oil buyer, has been spared from punitive measures, while India faces a 50 per cent tariff, including a 25 per cent additional penalty for oil trade with Moscow. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He said much of the Russian oil purchased by Beijing is refined and sold into the global market, and imposing sanctions could disrupt supplies and raise prices. 'Well, if you look at the oil that's going to China and being refined, a lot of that is then being sold back into Europe. Europe's also buying natural gas still. Now, there are countries trying to wean themselves off it, but there's more Europe can do with regard to their own sanctions,' Rubio said in an interview with Fox News. Sanctions could drive up prices Rubio cautioned that sanctioning Chinese refiners would have disruptive consequences. 'If you put secondary sanctions on a country, let's say you were to go after the oil sales of Russian oil to China, well, China just refines that oil. That oil is then sold into the global marketplace, and anyone who's buying that oil would be paying more for it or, if it doesn't exist, would have to find an alternative source for it,' he explained. He added that European nations purchasing Russian oil via China have already expressed concern over potential punitive measures. 'We have heard, when you talk about the Senate bill that was being proposed — where there was a hundred per cent tariff on China and India, we did hear from a number of European countries… some concern about what that could mean,' Rubio said. Secondary sanctions on Europe? Asked whether Europe could face sanctions for continuing to buy Russian energy, Rubio said, 'Well, I don't know about (sanctions) on Europe directly, obviously, but certainly there are implications to secondary sanctions. If you impose secondary sanctions on a country, as in the case of Russian oil shipments to China, China will simply refine that oil and it will return to the global market. Anyone buying this oil will pay a higher price, or if it is unavailable, they will have to look for alternative sources.' He reiterated that European nations have already voiced unease over such measures. 'When we discussed the Senate bill proposing a 100 percent tariff on China and India, we heard from a number of European countries that they were unhappy with that possibility,' he added. India-US tensions over Russian oil Rubio's comments come after he highlighted India's energy trade with Moscow as a long-standing irritant in Washington. Speaking to Fox Radio, he said India's continued purchases of Russian oil were 'helping to sustain the Russian war effort in Ukraine' and were 'most certainly a point of irritation' in US-India relations, though not the only one. 'India has huge energy needs and that includes the ability to buy oil and coal and gas and things that it needs to power its economy like every country does, and it buys it from Russia, because Russian oil is sanctioned and cheap. In many cases, they're selling it under the global price because of the sanctions,' Rubio said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Unfortunately, that is helping to sustain the Russian war effort. So it is most certainly a point of irritation in our relationship with India, not the only point of irritation. We also have many other points of cooperation with them.' While the US has refrained from sanctioning China, it has acted aggressively against India. After initially imposing a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, President Donald Trump recently doubled it to 50 per cent, penalising New Delhi for persisting with Russian oil imports. The White House also warned that secondary sanctions could follow if India did not alter course. The move has drawn accusations of double standards, as China continues to import large volumes of Russian oil without facing similar punitive measures. Despite Trump's repeated threats, India has maintained that its Russian oil purchases have continued and accused Washington of hypocrisy.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
36 minutes ago
- First Post
Wang Yi in India: China's top diplomat to meet PM Modi tomorrow; hold 24th round of boundary talks with Doval
As Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is all set to visit India, his itinerary includes a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Chinese diplomat will arrive in New Delhi on Monday China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends the 15th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' meeting during the 58th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 11, 2025. File Image/Pool via Reuters As Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is all set to visit India, his itinerary includes a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is pertinent to note that the veteran Chinese diplomat's visit to New Delhi is happening as PM Modi prepares to embark on a visit to China for the first time in seven years. The Indian prime minister is scheduled to travel to China from August 31 to September 1 for the SCO Summit in Tianjin, where he is expected to hold bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Volodymyr Putin. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Meanwhile, Wang Yi will arrive in India on Monday for a three-day visit in which he will also hold talks with his Indian counterpart, Dr S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. The foreign ministers' dialogue is scheduled for Monday evening. Meanwhile, Wang Yi and Doval would meet for the 24th round of Special Representatives talks on the boundary question on Tuesday morning, Times of India reported. The Chinese foreign minister's meeting with Prime Minister Modi will take place at 5:30 pm on Tuesday. During their talks, Wang Yi is expected to brief PM Modi about the agenda for the SCO summit and recent progress in Sino-India ties. Jaishankar and Wang Yi will also look into finalising the agenda for the upcoming Modi-Xi bilateral meeting. Apart from this, an announcement of the resumption of direct flights between the two countries is also expected to take place soon.
