Any further cuts to foreign enrolments will lead to damaging consequences, says University of Sydney

The proposed international student cap is threatening deep job cuts of the university staff and the policy is claimed to be used as an excuse for job cuts.

Study in Australia: A draft bill was introduced in Parliament last month to give powers to the education minister to set a cap on international student admissions. This caused unrest in Australian universities due to possible job cuts.

The University of Sydney, in its submission to the bill, said any reduction in the international students' admission would have “very damaging flow-on consequences”, pointing to the Group of Eight, whose over 30% of total revenue comes from foreign students.

The university said that the proposed cap on international students can jeopardize AU$220 million in investments aimed at improving accommodation infrastructure and could negatively affect its plans to build 2,000-3,000 new student beds over the next five years.

The submission said, "Already, we are hearing reports that developers of student accommodation facilities may walk away from new projects. It takes a five-year timeline, from site selection to the opening of student accommodation in Australia," as reported by amberstudent.

The report also said that the Australian government has not learned from its past failed attempts at micromanaging the universities.

Other Australian universities raised similar concerns

"I was “deeply concerned” university managements might be weaponising the commonwealth’s migration policy as an “excuse to threaten staff and students with decisions that damage universities," said Dr Alison Barnes, the national president of the National Tertiary Education Union.

Regional Universities Network shared similar sentiments and said that any reduction in its international enrolments would result in the “loss of regional university jobs and the closure of regional campuses," as reported by The Guardian.

Professor Sarah Todd, vice president of Griffith University’s international intake, said, "it was “hard to think it’s not” a deliberate act by the government to delay visa processing for students. It has a significant financial impact, obviously – not just on the university, but on the local community,” as quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald.

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