With student poaching becoming a critical concern for the Australian international education industry, the government has implemented several decisive measures to combat it. The latest one is a ban on agent commissions for on-shore student transfers between providers. Many students transfer to cheaper colleges linked with onshore agencies and even move to “ghost colleges”. 

As a part of the preventive initiative, education providers will be able to check agent performance data through a monitoring framework. The framework will include a series of “risk indicators” such as visa rejection rates and student completion rates. Additionally, it will help providers monitor student attendance. 

Another step is the tightening of the ESOS Act standards education providers need to follow for registration. It will prevent cross-ownership of businesses by education providers and agencies. The aim of these initiatives is to prevent the exploitation of international students and the erosion of trust in Australia’s international education system. 

According to authorities, the country needs to increase monitoring and compliance requirements in the international education sector. The government plans to implement further measures to eliminate unscrupulous players in the industry sooner rather than later. These bans are only the beginning of the tighter controls in the country.  

Additional recommendations include removing Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) eligibility for low-level private VET and non-award programmes. Right now, private vocational colleges in the country are already under scrutiny. 

With these steps, young and impressionable are less likely to fall prey to rogue RTOs and agents onshore trying to lure them with fee discounts, cash-backs, migration pathways, and job promises.