“LIMIT their arrival!”
“Double the fees!”
“Triple verification and eligibility checks!”
No, the battle orders do not refer to the arrival and passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz, nor the fees that Iran will charge for those given passage after verification of load and cargo origin — instead of drones and missile attacks.
The call to arms is academic.
Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the USA declared war on international students in the last two years, fueled by far-right and conservative groups claiming that temporary migrants — including students and workers — are not only taking away jobs from the domestic, native population but also causing a spike in housing, health care and rent prices.
With a record high net migration by the end of September 2023, followed by polls that voters are concerned about “large influxes of foreign students and workers putting excess pressure on the housing market,” the Australian government declared that the record 60 percent surge in migration, “mostly driven by students from India, China and the Philippines,” cannot continue.
In 2023, there were approximately 568,753 international student visa holders in Australia, according to the Institute of Public Affairs. The cap had been set at 270,000.
Up north and 9,300 miles from the continent, Canada also capped the number of students the country would allow to no more than 650,000 “after population growth” spurred by significant numbers of students “aggravated a housing shortage and increased cost in health care and other services.”
Government data showed that in 2023, Canada had a record number of international students in the country, “more than a million, roughly triple the number who entered the country a decade ago.”
The Immigration, Refugee, Citizenship Canada announced an intake cap on international students to “approximately 360,000 approved study permits, a decrease of 35 percent from 2023.”
Less than 3 miles from London Bridge, the British government affirmed its commitment to reduce net migration, targeting the “almost half a million student visas issued from June 2021 to June 2022.”
Citing the Office for National Statistics (ONS) of a “750 percent increase in the visa issuance to dependents of student visa holders,” the UK government claims net migration should be at “sustainable levels.”
The United States — the top destination for international students — also issued its ultimatum: “no stones unturned.”
In June 2025, the US State Department ordered embassies and consulates to “vet student visa applicants for ‘hostile attitudes towards our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.’”
More than 6,000 student visas were revoked, canceled or suspended, leading to arrest, deportation and exclusion of student visa holders who have temporarily left the US to visit their families and take short trips abroad.
Enrollment and talent losses
The Trump administration’s various visa restrictions and anti-immigration policies reflected the self-inflicted wounds.
The results from the Global Enrolment Benchmark Survey conducted by Nafsa, Oxford Test of English, and Studyportals of 461 universities from 63 countries show that “enrollment of international students was generally higher across the globe with notable exceptions including the United States.”
Earlier this year, Nafsa had projected that US colleges and universities could see their international student enrollment decline by as many as 150,000 students, due to a potential 30–40 percent decline in new foreign students.
By contrast, both undergraduate and graduate enrollments of international students were up in other regions. Asian countries saw the number of international undergraduates grow by 8 percent ... and European institutions gained 1 percent. At the graduate level, Asian universities reported a 3 percent increase in international students, with European institutions and those in the UK up 5 percent and 3 percent, respectively.
Bombs away, but fewer
Two years later, the war bombs and shrill rhetoric have decreased in numbers.
The Albanese government announced in August 2025 an increase of 25,000 additional places for student visas “to manage growth in international education in a sustainable way,” increasing the total number of visas to be issued from the previous cap of 270,000 to 295,000.
Reality sinks in.
International students’ contribution to the country of studies weighs more than the negative factors attributed to them.
Australia’s Reserve Bank confirms: ”The value of education exports is an indication of the demand that international students add to the economy ... consistently higher than measured COE to non-residents, suggesting that in aggregate international students spend more than they earn in Australia. In 2023/24, education exports were worth $50 billion — more than three times higher than the estimated $13.4 billion of COE earned by international students.”
“International student tuition alone was responsible for 100 percent of new operating revenue in Canada’s post-secondary sector ... between 2010 and 2023,” according to research from higher education consultant Alex Usher.
The cap on international students is felt not just on the national but more so on the rural levels.
ICEF Monitor’s Dec. 11, 2025 report: “With revenue losses as steep as those experienced at Sask Polytech (and many other Canadian institutions known for strong industry collaborations), smaller towns and/or those in rural regions became more vulnerable in terms of: job losses (e.g., at the college or university in their community); program closures; and reduced pool of graduates with skills relevant to local realities.”
The Starmer government seeks to continue its efforts to lower net migration with international students on target by: proposing a levy on English universities’ income from international student fees; making it harder for universities to sponsor student visas by introducing tougher compliance rules on licensure; reducing the standard length of the graduate visa, for international students to stay on and work in the UK, from two years to 18 months; stricter English language rules: higher standards for those already taking language tests, and requiring the partners of people moving to the UK on work visas to have basic English to qualify for a ‘dependent’ visa.”
The UK may still have the moat bridges up, but other European countries are benefiting.
With comparable academic programs and world-class credentials, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy have embraced some activities aiming to attract talent, fill skill shortages, and sustain economic and cultural diversity, resulting in enrollment of 1.5 million international students in 2024.
In many countries, education is free for European students. And there are even some places where non-European students can study for free, reports Study.eu (see link for EU countries offering low or free tuition fees at public universities - https://www.study.eu/article/study-in-europe-for-free-or-low-tuition-fees
EuroAmerican Education cited “Germany’s tuition-free model,” France’s “Bienvenu en France” program, the Netherlands’ offerings of programs taught in English, Spain’s internationalization efforts, and Italy’s scholarship pathways.
A country’s educational sector observes a “give and take” policy.
A study-destination-country cannot have less international students and huge tuition fees — creating jobs too.
Some things got to give — or explode.
The recent turnaround on the five DestiNations’ policy on international students shows the effects of the immigration-policy bombs exploding in their faces.
Whether the government’s leaders will learn their lesson will be forthcoming in the next semesters.
