VOA教育报道2024--Australia Tightens Visa Rule for Foreign Students

Australia Tightens¹ Visa Rule for Foreign Students

　　Australia will soon begin enforcing stricter visa rules for foreign students. The move comes as official data showed migration² hit another record high.

　　The new rules took effect on March 23. The rules will increase English language requirements for student visas.

　　The new rules will also give the government the power to suspend education providers from recruiting international students if they repeatedly break rules.

　　"The actions this weekend will continue to drive migration levels down while delivering on our commitments in the migration strategy to fix the broken system we inherited," Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said in a statement.

　　A new "genuine student test" will be introduced to block international students who look to come to Australia for work reasons instead of education reasons. The government will also enforce "no further stay" conditions on visitor visas.

　　The moves follow several actions last year to end COVID-era exceptions introduced by the former government. Those rules included unrestricted working hours for international students.

　　Australia increased its yearly migration numbers in 2022 to help businesses deal with worker shortages caused in part by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic brought strict border controls and kept foreign students and workers out for nearly two years.

　　But the sudden increase of foreign workers and students has worsened pressure on an already tight rental³ market. Demand for rental housing across Australia was already higher than the supply of available housing.

　　Australia's Department of Education says there were more than 567,000 international students in the country as of January 2024. That is a 26 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

　　Almost all of the international students in Australia come from Asia. The top five countries are China, India, Nepal, the Philippines and Vietnam. That information comes from Australia's Department of Education.

　　Overall, Australia's population rose 2.5 percent - the fastest increase on record - to 26.8 million people last year.

　　The record migration has expanded the labor⁴ supply and reduced pressures to raise wages.

　　O'Neil, the Home Affairs Minister, said the government's actions since September have led to a drop in migration levels. She added that recent international student visa approvals were down by 35 percent compared to the year before.

　　Words in This Story

　　strict -adj. more demanding

　　recruit - v. to find suitable people for something

　　inherit - v. to have to deal with ( a situation or problem...) when you take a position

　　genuine - adj. actual, real

　　era - n. a period of time associated with an event

　　tight - adj. low in supply

　　rental - n. something that is available to use in return for payment

1 tightens   

收紧( tighten的第三人称单数 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• One set of provisions tightens emission standards. 一套使排放标准更加严格的规定。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Requires no special tools or fittings; hand tightens to relief valve outlet. 不需要专用工具或管件；用手将其紧固到安全阀上即可。

2 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

3 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。