15 March 2011
Part I – General summary
This month we have tracked 341 news items. Among them, 102 reports concerned the Australian student visa program, 109 were general news items and some 130 items were about our competitors’ student visa policy and activities.
Part II – Brief analysis re each key issue
Australia
Media coverage on the Student visa program
This month we have tracked 102 media reports on this topic.
On 11 February 2011 DIAC released Australia’s first comprehensive report on the Student visa program, which has drawn great attention of the Chinese media and education agents. The majority of the media items are factual reports based on DIAC’s media release, with some differing interpretations of the report of the Student visa program. Some mentioned that the report was evidence of the decrease of the number of Chinese students’ visa applications since 2009, while others highlighted that the report showed China was still the largest source of international students for Australia.
In addition to the factual reports, many media outlets added some comments and analyses to their reports. Mirror, one of the mainstream media outlets in northern China, quoted the comments from an agent representative who attributed the decreased number of Chinese students to the Australian Government’s migration policy changes. The agent also predicted there might be a slight increase in the number of Chinese students studying in Australia in 2011, due to benefits from the student visa changes announced in December 2010. The Southern Metropolis Daily analyzed the data provided in DIAC’s report and highlighted that the success rate of Australian student visa applications reached 91.5 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2010. The Southern Metropolis Daily also highlighted the number of Chinese applicants dropped by 8.5 per cent in the 2009–2010 financial year. The above two reports were reprinted by over 50 newspapers and internet media, as well as over a hundred agents’ websites.
Education agents and experts’ comments on the Student visa program report also include:
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the report provides student visa data in a transparent and open manner, which provides strategic information for the Chinese overseas study market
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the report indicates the Australian Government welcomes international students and closely monitors the changes of Chinese student numbers in Australia.
In addition, many education agents and experts suggested that Chinese students should select their study majors based on individual’s interest and professional development plan, rather than focusing on the migration prospect or choosing majors based on the Skilled Occupation List.
Some links to media reports are as below:
Other reports regarding study in Australia:
Over 15 mainstream Chinese media outlets reprinted a translated report from the Australian press, in which the CEO of the overseas study agent, Aoji Education Group, labeled Australian Government ’short-sighted‘ and attributed the decreased number of international students to Australian Government’s migration policy change. 22 Chinese media outlets reprinted another report from the Australian press, entitled ’Decreased number of Chinese students indicates the deterioration of Australia-China bilateral relations’. In addition, a dozen media outlets reprinted the report on the private education provider Redhill Education's stock price slump in early February, which indicated the Australian international education market had been severely damaged. Those reports expressed the Chinese media’s concern over the decreasing number of Chinese students in Australia and the influence of migration policy changes to the Australian international education market.
Competitors
This month, we have tracked 130 media reports about our competitors, with 56 relating to the US, 30 on the UK, 34 on New Zealand and 15 about other overseas study destinations. The summarized translation of media reports are below:
US:
This month, the Chinese media reports continue to focus on the increase of study in the US. According to a report release by IELTS, for the first time the US has became one of the top three destinations of overseas study for Chinese students. With the release of Sino–US Joint Communiqué in mid-January, the US expressed its welcome to the Chinese students and the willingness to continue to facilitate the visa application of Chinese students. In 2010 the number of Chinese students studying in the US reached 128 000. Most of the media and education agents believe the above factors are very positive signals and predict that the US will become a more popular destination for overseas study in 2011 with the number of Chinese students going to the US continuing to increase. On the other hand, they advise the Chinese students not to focus on popular institutions and majors only and be cautious of the trap of the diploma mill.
Negative reports on study in the US mainly involve a safety issue that two Chinese students were involved in a car accident on 2 February in Seattle, which resulted in the death of one student with one sustaining injuries. Other negative reports involve a university in California, which was closed by the government due to being suspicious of assisting in illegal migration. This may result in a significant number of international students being repatriated.
UK:
As for the media coverage on the UK, negative reports overwhelm positive ones this month. Since May 2010, the UK has closed 58 irregular institutions and suspended/cancelled the licenses of over 200 institutions in order to prevent illegal migrants and workers enter into the UK in the name of study. Meanwhile, the UK has raised its student visa requirements to reduce the number of below-degree international students. Another concern for international students is that the UK plans to cancel the Post-study work visa. Some experts believe that all of the above factors together have damaged the UK education sector badly; however, some education agents indicated that the new policies could purify the UK’s international education market and high quality international students will not be disadvantaged.
New Zealand:
New Zealand began to implement new policies on international students on 7 February 2011, including cancelling the requirement of providing financial evidence for living cost, granting ’interim visas‘ to international students who are in the process of renewing visas, extending the valid period of certificate of no-criminal record and certificate of health examination from 2 to 3 years, and terminating the student loan scheme. Compared with the tightened migration policies of the UK and Australia, some education agents think that study in New Zealand now has more advantages and will become more popular among Chinese students this year.
Positive reports on study in New Zealand were replaced by Chinese media’s consecutive reports on the situation of the earthquake in New Zealand on 22 February and post-earthquake rescue actions, with 23 Chinese citizens still missing. Through this incident, Chinese students and parents have gained the perception that New Zealand is a country with frequent earthquakes. According to a media report, an agent representative admitted that the number of enquiries on study in New Zealand had decreased since the earthquake and many students changed their destination for study from the south island of New Zealand to the north, some parents even changed their mind sending their children to study in New Zealand due to safety concerns.
Canada:
The number of international students studying in Canada reached the highest in history, as a result of the new policies released by the Canadian government in 2010. The number of Chinese students, who travelled to Canada to pursue senior secondary school certificate in 2010, increased by three times the number in 2009. Therefore, some experts predict that Canada will become more popular with Chinese students this year.
Safety issue and MFA notice
Reprinted from the Australian press, a few Chinese media outlets reported a safety issue that a 13-year-old Chinese student drowned in a night swim in the swimming pool of a holiday resort in Gold Coast on 12 February. This boy was one of a tour group of about 70 Chinese students. In the report the Chinese media quoted relevant safety tips provided by Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
On 1 February MFA issued one notice relating to cyclone Yasi passing through the northeast of Queensland and warned the Chinese citizens there to pay attention to life safety and property security.