Federal government plans to dramatically reduce the number of international students permitted to come to Australia in 2025 continue to attract criticism.

The proposed cap would limit the number of international students being granted visas to 270,000, a reduction over 2023 of more than 43 per-cent.

Education Minister Jason Clare says along with the students who came after the pandemic, there were those who tried to make a “quick buck”.

Curtin Guild secretary Mitchell Craig says the revised cap could impact the multicultural environment Curtin fosters.

“It’s not fair on legitimate students who want to come here, but they can’t get visas because of a few who have abused the system.”

Under the government’s plan, the cap means 145,000 students would be granted visas at publicly funded universities and around 95,000 students at vocational institutions.

In 2023, more than 480,000 student visas were granted in Australia.

“International students make up over 20 percent of the Curtin student population and they are hugely important to the campus life and culture,” says Mr Craig.

He is concerned about the reduced number of international students coming to campus in future following the cap.

“In the long term, it would definitely reduce the experience on campus, it won’t be as good,” says Mr Craig.

The residential advisor of the student housing facility Kurrajong Village and international student Joash Brijit believes there are two sides to be looked at regarding the visa cap.

Mr Brijit says international students and immigrants make up a big part of Australia’s economy, so this cap could cause the economy to struggle.

“On the flipside, the housing crisis and the job crisis is the result of bringing that many international students,” he adds.

The Group of 8, comprising Australia’s eight most prestigious universities, has released a statement expressing its unhappiness with the announcement.

On average, almost a third of the revenues of the group of 8 comes from international students.

Curtin University has declined a request from the Western Independent to comment on the issue.