The Department of Home Affairs, Australia, has reported that a record number of international students are applying for the Australia visa. As per the department, close to 42,700 applications were received in June alone in what is being called a ‘post-COVID rush to return to Australia.’
As per The Australian, a reputed news agency, the Department of Home Affairs has told education providers that this is the largest number of applications received in a single month in the last 10 years.
In June 2019, the total number of Australian student visa applications stood at a little over 34,000 indicating a massive growth from the pre-COVID era. The trend seems to be continuing in July as well with 10,000 applications being received per month.
The news is another indicator supporting the revival of the global education industry after the pandemic had shut down the movement for over 2 years. Even Australia has recently scrapped vaccine rules for international students seeking entry into its borders.
As per The Australian, the increase in the number of applications will put a lot of pressure on the department. To tackle the issue, over 140 people have been assigned for visa processing in overseas offices.
Australian Immigration Minister, Andrew Giles, had said last week that 62,000 student visas have been processed since June and the government is keeping visa processing as a ‘major priority.’
Australia is one of the best study destinations for international students, it is very important that the Department of Home Affairs is able to quickly process all visa applications to avoid a backlog.