The impact of the international education policy changes being implemented by the Australian Government are becoming increasingly apparent in publicly available student visa data.

• In the calendar year to August 2024, there were around 45,600 offshore primary student visas lodgements for study in Victoria, accounting for around 26% of the total number of primary student visas lodged in Australia for this period.
• In the month of August 2024, there were around 2,500 offshore primary student visa lodgements for study in Victoria. This is a 52% decline on August 2023, and a 26% decline on August 2019.
• In the calendar year to August 2024, Victoria's average primary student visa grant rate was around 79%. This is lower than Victoria's average grant rate in the same period in 2023, which was around 87%. Victoria's student visa grant rate in the calendar year to August 2024 was on par with the national primary student visa grant which is also around 79%.

The Victorian Government continues to advocate to the Australian Government on the significant implications and unintended consequences of policy changes, including the implementation of National Planning Levels (caps) for Victoria’s international education sector, which is the state’s largest single export and a significant driver of economic growth.

The Victorian Government has made two public submissions to the Australian Government, on the Draft International Education and Skills Strategic Framework, and the Senate Inquiry into the Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Quality and Integrity) Bill 2024. Both submissions are available on the Study Melbourne website.

This data is sourced from the Department of Home Affairs website and calculated for the calendar year.