More mainlanders may study in HK after Oz caps student visas

Eunice Lam and Reuters

More mainlanders could pursue studies in Hong Kong after Australia announced a cap on international student enrollments at 270,000 next year to tackle record migration levels, says a local education consultant.

Samuel Chan Sze-ming, managing director of Hong Kong-based Britannia StudyLink, told The Standard Hong Kong has been a "second choice" for mainlanders who wish to study abroad.

"Australia is one of the popular choices for parents as the costs are cheaper [than other Western countries]," he said. "If Australia is changing its policies, I think there is a possibility that more mainland students will come to study in Hong Kong."

In January, Canada also announced it will cap student visas for overseas undergraduate students at 364,000 this year.

Chan said his agency has received multiple inquiries from mainland students who want to pursue higher studies in the UK since last year.

"However, since [mainland students] may not meet the academic requirements of British institutes, such as their English proficiency, some may consider HK," he said.

Those who have enrolled in UK institutes only account for half of the application number, he added.

Canberra announced yesterday it will limit the enrollment of new international students to 270,000 as the government looks to rein in record migration contributing to a spike in home rental prices.

"There are about 10 percent more international students in our universities today than prepandemic, and about 50 percent more in our private vocational and training providers," said education minister Jason Clare.

The enrollments will be capped at 145,000 for universities, which is around the 2023 levels, and 95,000 for practical and skills-based courses.

Net immigration hit a record high in the year to September last year, surging 60 percent to a record 548,800, mostly driven by students from India, China and the Philippines.

That was higher than the 518,000 in the year ending June 2023.

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com