AUSTRALIA

Migration system ‘not fit for purpose’, say universities

Australia’s migration system is “not fit for purpose” when it comes to encouraging international students to stay and work in the country, Universities Australia has warned, writes Helen Packer for The PIE News.

In a submission to the Universities Accord, a government review of the country’s higher education system, the body said that Australia’s retention of international students has fallen behind competing study destinations, with 16% of international students going on to become permanent residents.

“We need more of them to remain in Australia after they graduate to complement the skills and talents of our homegrown workforce,” the group wrote. Universities Australia blamed the migration system for this “brain drain”, describing the current system as “overly complex” and a deterrent to skilled workers and researchers.
Full report on The PIE News site