“Come back to Australia!” The government is stepping up appeals to international students and backpackers as labor shortages paralyze several economic sectors.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison made a point of announcing it in person at a press conference: students or working holiday permit holders who travel to Australia by next April will be reimbursed part of their visa fee, i.e. 600 Australian dollars (380 euros), congratulates himself Free Belgium :
Want to go abroad? Australia lowers visa fees for students and travellers.”
Urgently attract 150,000 foreign students
The stakes are high not only for Australian universities, but for the whole country, where certain economic sectors, such as catering, agriculture or health services, are experiencing labor shortages:
The measure, valued at 55 million Australian dollars (35 million euros) aims to attract workers to the country. The hope is that 150 000 students and 23 500 ‘backpackers’ already in possession of a visa take the step and travel to Australia, whose borders have long remained closed.
“It’s regarding saying thank you to the students for coming back and continuing to choose Australia, but we also want them to come here and be able to meet these severe labor shortages,” confirmed Scott Morrison.
In a grandstand published by the site The Conversation, academic Nancy Arthur says the border closures have reduced enrollment by up to 70% in some Australian higher education sectors. The impact of the pandemic on university finances has led to the loss of 35,000 jobs. Nancy Arthur continues:
The risk now is that we lose future skilled workers and also future Australian citizens.”
The author, who conducts research at the University of South Australia on foreign students, encourages the authorities to extend the measures already taken in their favor and to think urgently regarding other initiatives.
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