News Archive

The University of Western Australia Vice-Chancellor Professor Dawn Freshwater has welcomed the opening of applications for the Graduate Occupation List under the State Nominated Migration Program, which will pave the way for more education exports for WA.

“The Premier Mark McGowan’s announcement will make it easier for more international students to study in Perth, directly leading to more jobs for Western Australians,” Professor Freshwater said.

“In August we released a report with the Group of Eight that shows that every three international students generate over $1 million in economic impact in our community. [1]

“Importantly, this impact is shared between universities and the wider economy, as international students spend money on food, accommodation and tourism.

“The University of Western Australia looks forward to working with the Premier and Education Minister on the implementation of the reforms,” she said.

The new arrangement will provide a post-education visa pathway for the best and brightest international students who study in WA universities, but will not affect the Skilled Migration Occupation List.

The announcement from the Premier and Education Minister is available here: https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/McGowan/2018/09/Economy-to-benefit-from-new-graduate-migration-stream.aspx

[1] London Economics, The economic impact of Group of Eight universities , 2018, p38 (see https://www.go8.edu.au/Go8_London-Economics-Report.pdf )

Media references

MEDIA REFERENCE

David Stacey (UWA Media Manager)                                          (+61 8) 6488 3229 / (+61 4) 32 637 716