A Look At The Australian Foreign Student Market

When you talk about Australia, student visa holders would certainly be quite excited. After all, the land down under has long been considered as one of the best places to study in for a lot of foreign students and with the ton of opportunities available in the country, a lot more will likely be attracted.

But this lively picture is back then. Nowadays, it seems that it is looking bleak for the foreign student market in Australia. According to the latest figures, it seems that foreign student enrollment is slowly decreasing in the country' educational institutions. In fact, the figures went down by more than three percent in the past few months. And some observers believe that it is likely to go down even further in the coming months.

One of the biggest reasons that observers pointed out as causing the decline in foreign student numbers in the country is the recent tightening of the student immigration program. It can be recalled that the Australian government, through the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, has begun to tighten up the program since last year. One of the biggest changes that were implemented here was the reorganization of the jobs list that are qualified for a visa. The move saw the removal of many vocational courses from the listings.

Since a lot of foreign students are taking these vocational courses, many of them were forced to cancel their enrollment upon learning that these are no longer on the list. Looking further back, one can see why a lot of students are taking such courses in the country. Previously, these allow easy entry into the country for residency purposes. However, this is also the thing that the Australian government is trying to solve, as they argued that the setup is not doing good for the country's attempt at attracting the right kind of people to meet its needs.

But it is only not this one seen as a major reason in the decline of Australia as a favorite student destination. Other countries are now starting to showcase what they have to offer to many foreign students. And this is slowly catching the attention of a large portion of the international student market. For instance, the United States, while traditionally been considered as the top foreign student destination, have since increased its efforts to get more foreign students.

In this regard, a lot of experts are now urging the Australian government to double their efforts if they would still want to get a significant portion of foreign students. Luckily, they are not the ones to take this lying down, as the Australian government have said that they are now on the process of putting out newer programs to attract foreign students.

Traveling Australia On A Shoestring

If you are an Australian travel visa holder, then you would definitely love going around the country. However, though this one is indeed a great way to spend your vacation. There is a slight catch. As you might have already known, touring the Land Down Under is not going to be cheap.

But of course, that does not mean that you can't cut down on your expenses when on vacation. In fact, this one will be an enjoyable part of the whole trip, as you will be challenged to come up with new ways of saving up. And so, here are some useful tips and tricks that you can do on your nest trip.

Ditch the car rental

This might sound ridiculous, but you can actually save a big amount of money of you forgo renting a car during your stay. You see, car rentals can often run over a hundred dollars a day. And imagine how much you will have to spend on this one for a few days.

If you are worried on how to get around, you can always take the train or the bus. You see, Australia has a well developed public transportation system that will take you anywhere in the continent. And if you want to save more, you can always get yourself a multi-pass to avoid having to get several tickets when you go around. In case you prefer flying, there are also a bunch of low cost airlines available.

Food is all over you

If you are hungry, then you need not worry about having to look out for a fine dining restaurant. There are actually plenty of great eating places scattered around the cities. And these are reasonably priced too. You have a wide variety of options to choose from here, from fast food to fine cuisine that will suit your tastes.

If you are looking for some great tasting seafood dishes, the docks are a good place to visit. One good example is Port Jackson in Sydney. The place is actually teeming with a wide variety of seafood sold at market prices, since they are quite close to where these are harvested. Here, you will definitely get to enjoy fishes and crabs without the huge bills.

Get rid of all the extra services

If you really want to cut your hotel expenses, then you will have to let go of the room service. And this will not only cut down your costs, but it will also encourage you to go out and explore Australia more. But of course, that doesn't mean that you have to cut them off entirely. Request for something every now and then to treat yourself.

Sources:

Britz

http://www.britz.com.au/101-travel-tips-for-enjoying-australia-on-a-budget

Hostel Bookers

http://www.hostelbookers.com/article/travel-articles/australia-on-a-budget/

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