We just talk about the good stuff

When Canada’s housing minister suggested capping international students numbers, just weeks after exalting the importance of student migration in his former role as immigration minister, the country’s education sector rushed to defend students. 

But the fact remains that, whoever is to blame, nearly all major student destinations are experiencing housing shortages that are making both students and local residents miserable in the worst-affected areas. 

So should Canada be looking to the Netherlands, where the former government asked universities to halt international recruitment in order to stop housing shortages from worsening? Or is there a way to continue growing student cohorts in popular study destinations without the crisis levels we’re experiencing today? We asked the experts.

Are international students making housing shortages worse?

Despite sensationalist headlines, none of the accommodation sector representatives we spoke to thought that capping international student numbers would actually solve housing problems, nor did they believe this is a realistic policy option. 

Capping international students would be like “cutting off your left arm because your right arm is hurting,” said Michael Porritt​, vice president of advisory services at Scion. “It’s going to be a useless, useless solution.”

“Given the funding crisis across the UK higher education sector, capping international students and their accompanying fees would be detrimental to many universities,” said Dan Smith, director at Student Housing Consultancy in the UK. 

“There was a significant amount of scaremongering before clearing about UK students being squeezed out of university places by international students when in fact this hasn’t materialised. International students typically take up the more expensive student accommodation.”

Although capping student numbers might free up some housing, this would only be a “temporary fix”, said Kelly-Anne Watson, managing director at the Class Foundation, an organisation founded in response to the student housing crisis.  

“International students inject a substantial amount of money into local economies through tuition fees, housing expenditures, and other related expenses,” she continued. “This financial influx supports businesses and jobs in the community, indirectly benefiting local residents.”

Samuel Vetrak, CEO at BONARD, emphasised that governments must think longer term. 

“Building more student housing residences and incentivising investors [and] developers… is the right approach to the partial solution of the housing crisis rather than losing an opportunity to attract young talented people, who can facilitate countries’ development”.

Who is responsible for addressing the student housing shortage? 

Those working in the housing sector emphasise the need for greater collaboration and transparency between local councils, universities, purpose-built student accommodation operators and developers. But, for the most part, they agree the most important role is that of governments – who urgently need to step up. 

“The government policy-makers need to provide a blueprint for a student housing strategy that can be applied on a local level by local authorities, universities and key stakeholders from the private sector,” said Smith about the UK.  

“Neither main party have shown enough leadership as yet in dealing with the student housing crisis against the backdrop of a looming election and the immigration rhetoric that will inevitably set the tone for an election campaign,” he added.  

A key step all governments should consider is reducing red tape for developers and institutions, said Vetrak. 

“In some countries planning and getting permits could take nine months. In other countries, the procedures could take around five years,” he said. 

While federal governments must lead on housing policy, actions by local councils and governments can also make a significant impact, as shown by Canada’s British Columbia province, which created a housing strategy that links community housing with student accommodation. 

“This is very much on the premise that in general, if you create a bed for student housing on campus, it’s like creating two beds for the city because you’ve put the student in a bed on the campus and you freed up the bed they would have been living in the city,” said Porritt. 

The local government offered low-interest loans and some grants to campuses to support the construction of housing near to campus, as well as lifting restrictions on public-private partnerships to make construction easier. 

Although housing issues in the region, which encompasses the major student cities of Vancouver and Victoria, are far from over, it is hoped this approach will stop things from escalating further by adding over 8,000 beds by 2028, with a second wave of funding underway. 

While replicating this strategy across the country may not keep up with the growth of Canada’s international student population, it would “make a significant dent in the problem”, Porritt​ believes, particularly if the federal government stepped in to provide more low-interest loans for post-secondary housing. 

A similar program is being rolled out in California, although rising constructions costs have caused setbacks. 

More widely, local governments can help ease housing problems by providing access to land for purpose built student accommodation. 

“Cities with the biggest student population are usually vibrant economic and social centres, where land is very expensive and difficult to get access to,” said Vetrak, adding that a central location, close to campuses, is key to the success of student housing developments. 

“Very often suitable locations for student schemes lack available land, which is sometimes owned not only by private landlords but local authorities as well. 

“Simplifying the process of access to the land owned by local authorities would contribute a lot to the fastening of the development of the PBSA.”

Porritt​ agreed that a “streamlining” of the development process is necessary. 

“It’s important to have environmental considerations and handling of rainwater and all these other kind of things… but it doesn’t have to take as long as it takes.” 

“There are a lot of campuses that have land that could add more housing”

What should institutions do? 

A recent study from the Class Foundation found that student satisfaction is directly linked to accommodation: students with more control over where and how they live reported higher levels of wellbeing. 

Although government-level support may be needed, there are actions institutions can take directly to improve access to housing for their students, including dedicating more of their campus space to accommodation. 

“Universities can seize the opportunity to repurpose their land for housing provisions,” said Watson. “Collaboration with the housing sector allows universities to wield their influence over design, rental rates, and the overall housing experience, all without assuming excessive risk or liability.”

“There are a lot of campuses that have land that could add more housing,” agreed Porritt. “They just need to have the commitment to do it and we can set up structures either through the government to make money available or through the private sector.”

All experts agreed that better collaboration is the only way to address the student housing crisis, and this can be led by institutions. Their focus should be on pro-actively sharing data and collaborating with local governments. 

“If the campus and the town are working together, they can figure out much better solutions than if they’re always just fighting each other,” Porritt said. 

The post How to solve the international student housing crisis appeared first on The PIE News.

African countries are some of the major beneficiaries of some of the 2023 scholarships issued by Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA).

Students from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya are some of the major winners of the 443 Banach Scholarships this year, following a call by NAWA which attracted applications from Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Students from African countries of South Africa, Angola and Senegal have also won places.

After the February call, some from 3,587 applications were received from citizens of 34 different countries, 1,538 higher than those made in 2022 and also higher than the 1,966 who applied for the same in 2021.

“As before, the largest groups of beneficiaries come from Ethiopia, Azerbaijan, Palestine, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria and Belarus. For the first time there are scholarship holders from Bosnia and Herzegovina,” NAWA announced recently.

“The number of applications submitted in this year’s call shows that the program is becoming more and more popular,” NAWA added.

“The program is becoming more and more popular”

The most popular fields of study were engineering and technology, natural and social sciences, and the majority of the grantees will study at universities in Warsaw, Wrocław, Kraków and Poznań.

The objective of the program is to “promote socio-economic progress of developing countries”, the agency continued.

It does so by offering second-degree studies in Polish or English at the universities, it noted.

The scheme is implemented under Polish Aid, part of Poland’s development and humanitarian assistance, targeting young people who wish to study in Poland.

The scholarship scheme is named after Poland’s famous mathematician Stefan Banach, co-founder of the Lviv school of mathematics. It covers tuition fees, and beneficiaries receive a monthly stipend of 1,500 Polish Złoty (approximately US$360) in living expenses.

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Canada will never reach its full potential until people with disabilities are fully included in the fabric of society. After all, we represent 22% of the population and, inevitably, we contribute to Canadian excellence.

I’m heartened to see some concerted efforts over the years to remove barriers for Canadians living with disabilities. Last year, the federal government released Canada’s first-ever Disability Inclusion Action Plan which aims to improve the lives of persons with disabilities. This is a step in the right direction to ensuring all Canadians have equal opportunities.

In the same vein, the Canadian government launched in 2019 the Global Skills Opportunity mobility pilot program to help students study or work abroad. What sets GSO apart is that it prioritises helping students with disabilities, Aboriginal students and students from low-income backgrounds gain access to international experiences.

The program has met with great success. To date, more than 5,500 Canadian post-secondary students have benefited from work or study abroad through GSO.

Of these, some 900 people with disabilities have had an experience that has transformed the way they see the world.

Without sustained funding, the pilot program will come to an end in 2025. I would like to see the budget envelope for this remarkable and innovative program renewed to enable people who are too often excluded to be well-equipped to compete in an ever-changing world.

I’m a person with reduced mobility, and in 2000 I won a generous scholarship without which I wouldn’t have been able to study for a semester at the Université de Poitiers in France. After finding a room with an adapted bathroom thanks to the help of the director of my study program, I navigated the maze of bureaucracy to obtain my student visa.

To this day, I thank my good providence for having put in my path an employee of the French consulate who knew the rules well and issued me a visa for six months less a day.

By doing so, she spared me a medical examination which, given my handicap, could have been catastrophic and would probably have closed the doors to France for me. On the day of my departure, I was excited and proud: my love of learning had given me wings and offered me an exceptional opportunity to better myself.

What an experience it was! Nearly a quarter of a century later, I can confirm that that trip was one of the most formative of my life.

The culture shock hit as soon as I set foot in Paris. The student who picked me up at the airport drove me to her parents’ house on this tiny street in the 17e arrondissement where she parked in the opposite direction to the traffic. I was learning that, in France, it’s possible to respect the rules while adapting them.

To this day, that lesson learned is often present in my mind: There are more than one way to reach a target. It’s therefore essential that I be flexible and adapt to the different situations I face.

By necessity, I also had to adapt how I expressed myself in order to be understood, and I even incorporated new expressions into my vocabulary: “oui, j’ai de la tune. C’est effectivement nickel chrome!”

Being francophone and not being understood by other French speakers made me aware of the importance of communicating well, but also of not judging a person by their accent or expressions, because language is intrinsically linked to our identity and culture.

As for me, the experience of studying abroad has made me much more aware of social inequalities.

I’ve since become sensitive to the plight of all those who immigrate or are displaced by human or climatic catastrophes. I was in France of my own free will, but there were days when I felt misunderstood and alone in the world.

“Studying or working abroad gives people with disabilities the tools they need to stand out from the crowd”

In the current state of the world, empathy is a skill that should be encouraged.

Adaptability to change, communicative agility and intercultural skills are assets eagerly sought by employers at home and abroad.

Studying or working abroad gives people with disabilities the tools they need to stand out from the crowd and contribute to society – in other words, to become empathetic leaders.

For all those students who could benefit from such an experience, I believe it is imperative that the budget for the Global Skills Opportunity pilot program be renewed.

Let’s give wings to these spirited young people and let Canada shine!

About the author: Louisane LeBlanc is a PhD candidate and lecturer in the Department of Linguistics and Translation at Université de Montréal. She is also a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Fellow and a member of the Global Skills Opportunity Advisory Group

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Government policies are continuing to frustrate UK international education stakeholders specialising in young learners, as they called for more marketing funding and ‘student-friendly’ policy amendments.

An announcement on a young travellers scheme from the government is anticipated this year, as are further details about the UK-France Joint Leaders’ Declaration, which was announced in March.

The policy paper stipulated cooperation on school trips, with the UK committing to making changes to documentary requirements and France in turn agreeing to visa free travel for school trips arriving from the UK.

Speakers at the British Educational Travel Association’s parliamentary reception on September 5 urged government to introduce “dynamic” policy – such as the right to work for students among other friendlier visa policies – in order to “drive growth and create opportunities for global Britain”.

“As a country we have not always made it easy to welcome international young people here. Since the UK left the EU, it has become a lot harder for school groups to visit the UK and also UK school groups to visit the EU,” BETA chair Steve Lowy said.

In the seven months since the UK and France signed the declaration, there is neither a timeline nor further details for implementation, he highlighted.

“Whilst this is a welcome step in the right direction, it will have zero impact on visitor numbers in 2023,” he continued. “An announcement soon will allow travel operators and businesses in the UK to plan and develop products to win back to the UK share of the EU student group travel in 2024/25.”

“Talk is cheap,”Baroness Doocey added. “We need to know when and how this is going to be implemented.”

Baroness Doocey called on stakeholders to lobby the government and political parties ahead of their autumn conferences and at a time when they will be putting together their manifestos for the next general election.

As Liberal Democrat spokesperson for tourism and heritage, Doocey said she has put together a “very comprehensive” paper for her party that aims to boost UK tourism. And it’s very likely other parties are doing the same.

“The Liberal Democrats would make it a priority to tackle the devastating impact of new entry requirements for school groups travelling to and from the UK,” she said.

“It is frustrating that we’ve not had a proper fix yet to some of the key issues”

Also attending was Jeff Smith Labour party MP and shadow minister for Tourism.

Since last year, it is “frustrating that we’ve not had a proper fix yet to some of the key issues that are facing youth group tourism”, he told those gathered. He also mentioned the problem of passports for EU students.

“I know we’ve been talking about this issue for quite some time. It seems that it could be a relatively simple thing, with the creation of a new form of youth group travel scheme that would enable UK travel operators to get back our share of the EU student travel market. So it’s a big priority for me in my current role,” he said.

“We need to see school groups travelling freely again to and from the whole of Europe,” Doocey added.

Smith also noted that the agreement in France is with only one EU country, emphasising the need to expand the youth mobility scheme to other member states as well as addressing the UK’s uncompetitive visa fees.

Lowy noted that the recent announcement to hike UK visa fees by “at least” 15%, on top of last year’s 5% rise, as well as the health care surcharge increase is making the UK less competitive.

With BETA members forecasting that this year they will be at around 88% of 2019 business levels, the UK’s international competitors are “recovering at a much faster rate than the UK”.

“We need way more help to make sure we get back to the playing field,” he said. “The UK must focus on friendlier visa policies and attractive marketing campaigns if we are to achieve our full potential as a world class destination, whether it be for study, travel or work.

“Instead, at the moment it feels like we are intent on making it more challenging to succeed.”

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Stakeholders across Europe have renewed calls for Switzerland to become an associate member of the Horizon research funding program after hailing the news that the UK will return to the scheme from 2024.

The European Commission and the UK government agreed that the country will become an associate member of the £85 billion program on September 7. The move could indicate that the EU and Switzerland are open to movement on sticking points in their negotiation, stakeholders hope.

The relationship between Switzerland and the European Union broke down after a new treaty designed to bring together historic bilateral deals into one framework was rejected in 2021. Association to the Horizon program, as well as the Erasmus student mobility scheme, were two European initiatives that Switzerland lost access to as a result.

Swiss People’s Party, a nationalist party seeking to maintain independence of Switzerland, is expected to win the upcoming federal election in October.

The current government, run in a grand coalition of the major political parties, says its goal is for Switzerland to fully associate to the Horizon Europe program. But there are concerns that right-wing, anti-EU parties in the country – which has never been an EU member state – could stall further agreements.

Earlier this year, Swiss president and member of the Social Democratic Party, Alain Berset, discussed Switzerland’s association to the EU’s Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ programs with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at Davos.

While no breakthroughs have yet been announced, the European parliament supported calls for Switzerland to become a full member of the €26 billion Erasmus+ mobility program in May.

A back-up research funding scheme, established by the Swiss National Science Foundation, “solves part of the financial problem”, stakeholders have said.

ETH Zurich – which is one of the Swiss universities that has been most impacted financially by loss of access to the Horizon program – has been a key leader in the Stick to Science which has sought UK and Swiss participation in Horizon Europe.

Director of UUKi, Jamie Arrowsmith noted that the Stick to Science campaign “has always been about securing full association for both the UK and Switzerland”.

“We are hugely grateful that the UK’s involvement has been secured, and for the support that has helped deliver this outcome,” he wrote online.

“UUKi will continue to work with our friends and colleagues in Switzerland, and throughout the European research community, to advocate for Swiss participation – it remains in our collective interests to do so.”

The international association of specialised and comprehensive universities CESAER is one group calling for progress to be made for Switzerland.

“We look forward to further progress”

“The reintegration of the UK into Horizon Europe and Copernicus reaffirms the commitment of both the EU and the UK to advancing global scientific excellence,” it said in a statement. “As we celebrate this achievement, we also look forward to further progress in the international scientific community, with hopes for the accession of Switzerland.”

Earlier this year, Rik Van de Walle, president of CESAER and rector of Ghent University stated that “politicians ought to be ready to move beyond their divisions and pursue cooperation in the areas that really make a difference”.

The Swiss Science Council has also made similar calls.

The @Swiss_SSC and its president @ssusstrunk welcome the return of the UK under #HorizonEurope as fully associated country. Switzerland should now receive the same status ⚡️as soon as possible!
https://t.co/jfyCl1cq0E

— Swiss Science Council (@Swiss_SSC) September 7, 2023

Yves Flückiger, rector of the University of Geneva and chair of the League of European Research Universities, has previously raised concerns that even if Swiss and European politicians can hammer out a resolution he fears that Swiss universities will have to wait for the next Horizon program beginning in 2027.

“The UK’s association makes the omission of Switzerland from Horizon Europe as an associated country all the more glaring,” the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities added.

“The agreement made on UK association should incentivise us to push for a similar outcome with Switzerland. Our members remain united in demanding full association of Switzerland to Horizon Europe in light of today’s positive momentum.”

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Global insights and enrolment solutions provider QS has announced a strategic partnership with Successful Graduate to offer employability micro-credentials to partner institutions at each stage of the applicant lifecycle.

Successful Graduate is a white-label training platform that offers customisable preparation courses on topics relating to employability skills.

The company describes itself as offering employability skills ‘at scale’ as a way of incentivising student engagement and enrolments.

It has been nominated as a global finalist at The PIEoneer Awards for four consecutive years running, as well as being recognised as two-time nominees for the QS Reimagine Education Awards.

The partnership highlights the increasing importance of employability preparation in meeting student expectations surrounding their university experience and outcomes.

Soft career search and support skills are expected, even within very early stage conversion activities like pre-departure orientation.

Gordon Scott, managing director of Successful Graduate, spoke of his excitement about the partnership with QS saying, “At the heart of our relationship [with QS] is an intense desire to develop the preparation and employability skills of students with client institutions around the world.

“Our two organisations have an enormous opportunity and responsibility to nurture and enrol well-prepared students into their chosen institution, support their commencement and orientation, and embed our materials across the student lifecycle to develop the employability skills that will complement their studies.”

Successful Graduate directly supports a wide range of universities and TAFE colleges in Australia, and this new partnership will allow it to expand that portfolio to include QS partner institutions around the world.

QS operates as a leading provider of outsourced services for HEIs including support with recruitment, admissions, conversion and retention of students.

It now joins the competitive field of outsourced employability services competing to support universities with growing numbers of graduates.

“This strategic collaboration enhances QS’s value proposition for universities”

Edward Harcourt, senior vice president and managing director of QS Enrolment Solutions, said, “We are thrilled about our partnership with Successful Graduate, an innovative skills builder that has received international recognition for its contributions to student success.

“This strategic collaboration enhances QS’s value proposition for universities by strengthening our enrolment conversion and student retention services.

“It introduces a portfolio of employability and soft skill micro-credentials for students, that aligns to our core mission – enabling motivated individuals anywhere in the world to fulfill their potential through educational achievement, international mobility and career development.”

The use of private provider microcredentials to deliver added value and industry-accredited training and placements is increasing at higher education institutions.

Universities are under pressure to deliver on their promise of employability, yet rapid growth in application and enrolment volumes has left many institutions under-resourced to deliver these services directly to meet demand.

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Australia has prioritised strengthening education links with Southeast Asia in its first strategy focused on the region. 

The new plan, launched by prime minister Anthony Albanese at the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum in Indonesia, sets out how Australia will deepen connections with its northern neighbours as many Southeast Asian economies experience strong economic growth. 

But the strategy warns that overall Australian investment to date has been “underweight”, with foreign investment ‘stagnating’ over the past decade. 

The government is looking to change this in what Albanese described as “the most significant upgrade of Australia’s economic engagement with ASEAN for a generation”.

He called it “an overdue strengthening of our engagement” and said the region is “where Australia’s economic destiny lies”. 

Australian officials have previously spoken about the need to become less reliant on China, its major trading partner, amid geopolitical tensions and China’s economic downturn. 

Among the recommendations in the strategy is increased investment in promoting Australia’s education system to students in the region as well as increasing cooperation between education providers to enhance qualification recognition. 

It describes Australia’s education system as a “national asset” in engagement with Southeast Asia, adding that the sector has been “integral to building enduring relationships and economic prosperity with the region”.

“More young people will be looking to tertiary education”

Over half a million Southeast Asian students have studied in Australia over the past 20 years. 

The strategy, which was developed by special envoy to Southeast Asia Nicholas Moore, predicts strong demand for education services from Southeast Asia until 2040, driven by a growing middle class and a large youth population. 

To harness this demand, the report notes Australian education providers will need to be “responsive to evolving student preferences and industry needs”.

“As the region grows and needs an increasingly skilled workforce to meet the demands of technological advances and the clean energy transition, more young people will be looking to tertiary education,” it predicts. 

The government will also encourage universities and vocational education providers to offer work-integrated learning opportunities as part of course offerings to Southeast Asian students, as well as coordinating a nationwide initiative to engage alumni and connect them with businesses in both Australia and Southeast Asia. 

Shane Dillon, CEO at Vietnam-based talent platform Cturtle, said he was pleased to see the inclusion of alumni networks, as ASEAN graduates with Australian qualifications are a “sizeable group… wanting to be engaged”. 

“The strategy mentions ‘alumni’ 36 times showing the critical role they could play in building capacity and awareness in Australia and Southeast Asia of each other’s markets,” Dillon, who was involved in consultations for the strategy, said. 

Moore also advised the cabinet to develop a nationwide plan to strengthen Southeast Asia literacy among businesses, government and the education system. 

Ly Tran, professor at Deakin University’s school of education, emphasised the importance of this point, arguing that increasing student mobility does not go far enough. 

“It is critical to develop a whole-institution approach and better coordination across different stakeholders, to facilitate a comprehensive approach to internationalising the student experiences and building sustainable capacity for Australian-ASEAN relations, rather than mainly depending on mobility or student exchange,” she said. 

“It is important to leverage Southeast Asia experiences, skills, knowledge, languages and networks that international students from ASEAN bring to Australian institutions and Australian communities. 

“This is a potential huge resource to build Southeast Asian capacity for Australian young people and the broader community that we have not yet effectively tapped on.” 

She added that Australia’s commitment to Asian language education and Asian cultural literacy should be at the centre of the government’s strategy to enhance the experience of incoming international students from the region. 

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Australia’s institutions have ambitious aims for continuing their transnational education offerings, but experienced providers have warned of the dangers of trying to make a “quick buck”.

Institutions, each making waves in transnational education, but at varying levels of maturity, came together to discuss the role it plays in their international strategies.

Readiness and alignment with partners were among the priorities shared during the panel at IEAA’s Transnational Education Forum 2023, along with not biting off more than one can chew.

Failures happen when there is “too much focus on making a quick buck”, said Saskia Loer Hansen deputy vice-chancellor, international and engagement and vice-president, RMIT University.

She warned stakeholders of what she saw during her time spent working in the UK, as a result of the sector being under “phenomenal” financial pressure and with a desire to offset loss of revenue.

“That is not a recipe for success. These things take time and it puts an awful lot of pressure on partners if you expect there to be an immediate return,” she said.

Loer Hansen considers RMIT a pioneering university in the TNE space, having worked for 36 years in Singapore with the same partner, with other operations in locations such as Vietnam where they have operated for 23 years.

Of 90,000 RMIT students, 21,000 are offshore, said Hansen. Some 14,000 are based in Vietnam and the rest are distributed across other partnerships.

It puts an awful lot of pressure on partners if you expect there to be an immediate return

“A lesson learned is around understanding that it takes hard work, a lot of senior support, great people on the ground and that time an effort is required to see successful outcomes.”

However, that support and level of resourcing may be lacking, a recent survey suggested.

In a global survey of international education leaders, conducted by Nous Group and Navitas, almost 100% of respondents agreed that internationalisation is of high priority.

However, 10% disagreed that they have senior levels of support and 40% disagreed that they have adequate resourcing to deliver on their internationalisation agenda.

Jon Chew, global head of insights and analytics at Navitas, said that although the survey highlighted gaps in internationalisation agendas more generally, he believes if asked only about TNE, results would show an even bigger gap.

Within transnational education operations, launching a campus is often the hardest, and highest-risk option with the biggest investment, said Andrew MacIntyre, president of Monash University in Indonesia.

“But at least as we read things, also the highest pay off,” he said, adding that such campuses have been central to the the university’s long-established TNE offering.

“We want our TNE educational operations to be self-sustaining and making a good contribution to the university but always at full consideration is how that will play for the university’s research interests.”

Among recent strategic targets set by universities is the goal at University of Queensland of having 15% of its students studying offshore by 2032.

Brett Lovegrove, UQ’s pro vice-chancellor of global partnerships said that he hopes to see both modes of entry utilised – branch campus and partnerships, although the details will depend on a number of undecided factors such as location, features of each market, regulations and availability of well-trained staff in-country.

At the moment, the university’s TNE efforts are primarily based on research – including join PhD arrangements with universities such as Exeter and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.

Meanwhile, Melbourne Polytechnic is known for its independent, legal entity campus in Fuzhou, China where more than 3,000 students are enrolled at that campus in Australian diplomas and associate degrees. Timothy Gilbert, the university’s vice president of international development, said the institution is “very keen” to look at locations such as Vietnam.

He highlighted the “political risks and political opportunities” that can arise within TNE operations, even at the risk of putting entire projects on hold.

He also called attention to the importance of learning from mistakes and failures, giving the example of when visa issues complicated the university’s efforts to run civil engineering programs in Bangladesh, which would have given students the opportunity to finish their studies onshore.

“That killed the partnership there and then,” said Gilbert.

Gilbert has worked to move away from the idea that internationalisation is “all about the money”. Instead, he is focusing on ensuring an “excellent student experience” for all international and transnational students, which he said is very closely aligned with the aims of the Victoria government’s international education recovery plan.

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The average time to process a student visa has been knocked down to just 16 days, according to Australia’s home affairs department.

It comes after multiple major study destinations found themselves dealing with crippling visa delays in 2022, when numbers surged as the world gradually emerged from the pandemic.

The improvement, according to a spokesperson from the department of home affairs, was achieved through a $48.1m allocation of funds over 12 months from the country’s budget and a series of other moves to help fix the visa delays.

“Almost 600 new staff [were] recruited between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, and are now supporting temporary and migration visa processing,” the spokesperson told The PIE News.

“Processing on-hand visa applications is a government priority. In most instances, the department of home affairs has reduced the time it takes to finalise visa applications.

“These actions have already reduced the number of student visa applications on-hand and improved student visa processing times,” the spokesperson continued.

In a LinkedIn post, Austrade lauded the news for international students, reiterating that the processing time had been knocked down to 16 days.

Responding to The PIE, the home affairs department said that the median figure was even lower, at 13 days.

Despite the encouraging figures, the department did warn that it was not an indication for students to become complacent about applying for visas.

“Processing times are impacted by cases that are complex, changes to the volume of applications and changes to Ministerial Directions.​

“The department recommends that student visa applicants located outside Australia apply for their visa at least eight weeks before their course starts,” the spokesperson said.

“Processing on-hand visa applications is a government priority”

Study Gold Coast, one of the leading regional centres for attracting international students to Australia, told The PIE that backlogs have “been cleared” and processing times are now “in line with expectations”.

“This is not being raised by our members as a current issue,” the spokesperson confirmed.

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The UK’s Turing Scheme has once again come under fire during a recent parliamentary debate, with MPs concerned that it has “simply fallen behind” the Erasmus offering.

Concerns raised during the September 5 debate mostly focused on funding issues existing in the Turing Scheme, which was introduced in 2021 as the UK’s equivalent to the EU’s Erasmus+ exchange program.

Meanwhile, Robert Halfon, minister for skills, apprenticeships and higher education focused on the benefits of the new scheme – mainly to those from disadvantaged backgrounds, apprentices who could not take part in the previous scheme, and UK taxpayers, who he believes are getting a better deal.

Wendy Chamberlain, liberal democrat MP for North East Fife and a fan of the Turing scheme “in principal”, highlighted concerns which have been voiced before in the recurring Turing debate. Criticisms include the scheme’s inability to provide students with the funds they need before embarking on their journey, as well as late payments.

“The official guidance says that decisions will be made in the summer and payments made in September for the new academic year. I did not think we would need to point this out, but not all countries have academic years that start in September,” she said.

Students are often required to travel to study destinations earlier than September, whether to begin classes, attend orientation or simply become settled, Chamberlain argued. In this case, students are forced to put up the money for this.

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