Australia issues lowest number of student visas for Hongkongers in 20 years. Why?

Australia issued only 2,600 student visas for Hongkongers pursuing higher education in the 2024-25 financial year, the lowest number in two decades and following a spike in approvals when the country rolled out a bespoke “study-to-emigrate” pathway in 2022-23.

An overseas education consultant specialising in Australia said the decline was due to Hong Kong offering a growing number of tertiary education spots in the city.

The trend was uncovered in the latest figures from Australia’s Department of Home Affairs, with the 2,600 student visas granted to Hongkongers – the lowest number since records became available in 2005-06.

The figure also represented a 4 per cent decrease from the 2,717 such visas issued last year and a 36 per cent drop from the 4,087 recorded in 2009-10, which was a peak year.

The decline contrasted with a 2 per cent increase in the number of Australian student visas granted to applicants from all over the world in 2024-25, reaching 206,300.

In 2022-23, the number of Hongkongers granted Australian student visas surged to 3,381, the third-highest level since records became available. The increase followed the launch of the bespoke immigration pathway for Hongkongers.