Navitas reports a 3 per cent first semester lift in university partnership enrolments, making for a 6 per cent increase in its 2018 financial year. However, the giant private provider warns growth slowed in Australia due to visa changes which, “contributed towards a bias” among international students to universities with the “highest rank” for visas. “We are actively working with the sector to support a rebalancing of the Simplified Student Visa Framework to enhance the sustainability of Australia’s international education sector, CEO David Buckingham says.

There was 2 per cent growth in North America, all coming from Canada, with reduced volumes into “many US universities.” This is due to higher visa rejections in the United States and “ongoing uncertainty” caused by the Trump Administration’s “approach to immigration.”