Birrell of the Australian population Research Institute claims that international students are allowed to work and have an impact on the Australian labour market and the housing market. (photo by the Daily Mail)
The surge in international students pushed Australia`s annual net immigration intake to 240000, putting downward pressure on wages and driving up the cost of accommodation in big cities, the Australian newspaper reported.
Although the government has kept the annual intake of permanent immigrants at 163000, the number of student visas has soared from about 278000 in 2010-11 to more than 374000 in 2016-17.
The debate over immigration intake has intensified, with Birrell (Bob Birrell) of the Australian Institute of population Research (Australian Population Research Institute) warning: "International students may take advantage of the system and extend their stay in Australia for a few years."
"you can convert a student visa to a post-graduation visa, a tourist visa or a working vacation visa, which is a roundabout way," he told the Australian newspaper. People want to stay, perhaps in preparation for permanent residence, or because they want to stay in the labour market. They can do so. "
Birrell even declared that "foreign students can work 20 hours a week, and their impact on the labour and housing markets is well understood but avoided." "this is the main cause of poor working conditions and low wages in the bottom labour market, especially in the hospitality, retail and cleaning services sectors. Employers have a dominant position in these industries. "
"when it comes to infrastructure, when you have about 240000 net immigrants, the population is growing 1.7 percent. This is the main cause of the backlog. Because of net emigration, Melbourne and Sydney now have the fastest population growth-more than 100000 people a year. "
Net overseas emigration by visa category in Australia, 2005-2015. (source: Bureau of Statistics Australia)
Tan Bao (Malcolm Turnbull) said yesterday that the government reduced the number of permanent immigrants received. Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Albert (Tony Abbott) has slammed Australia`s high percentage of net overseas immigrants. Labour leader Sheldon (Bill Shorten) has also criticised the growth in temporary visa holders.
