Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF
27th Mar 2025

ICEF Podcast: How are schools and agents adapting to rising visa rejection rates?

Listen in as ICEF’s Craig Riggs and Martijn van de Veen recap some recent industry developments, including a shift to a more strategic approach to student recruitment and a renewed call for diversity in foreign enrolments.

This month's episode puts the focus on rising visa rejection rates in a number of major study destinations, a pattern that is having a major impact not just on the students but equally on the schools and agencies handling their recruitment.

Joining our hosts to explore this important issue are Michal Sestak, Managing Director of AustraliaOnline and Shawn Silverstone, Director of International Marketing and Recruitment with the Coquitlam School District.

We conclude with a closer look at East Africa as the latest stop for our “Keys to the Market” segment.

You can listen right now in the player below, and we encourage you to subscribe via your favourite podcast app in order to receive future episodes automatically.

For additional background, please see:

Most Recent

  • New Zealand reports solid foreign enrolment growth for 2025 Read More
  • US immigration officials allege OPT is being widely abused and say “more actions are forthcoming” Read More
  • New IDP research shows link between visa uncertainty and the perceived ROI of study abroad Read More

Most Popular

  • Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030? Read More
  • Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation  Read More
  • Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe Read More

Because you found this article interesting

US immigration officials allege OPT is being widely abused and say “more actions are forthcoming” US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has intensified its scrutiny of the Optional Practical Training (OPT) post-study work...
Read more
New IDP research shows link between visa uncertainty and the perceived ROI of study abroad New IDP Emerging Futures research reveals that visa concerns are now influencing international students’ decision-making earlier than in...
Read more
Universities urged to focus on “factors they can control” as policy settings depress international student enrolments in the Big Four Through the first quarter of 2026, restrictive immigration settings in Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US continued...
Read more
US to end “Duration of Status” for F, J, and I visas and limit the time international students can study in the US It is likely that as of September 2026, most international students in the US will need to complete...
Read more
ICEF Podcast: Sustainable international student recruitment from a UK-China perspective Listen in as ICEF’s Craig Riggs and Martijn van de Veen recap some of the latest developments in...
Read more
New research finds global youth increasingly drawn to non-Western governance models and study destinations Two important new global studies – the 2025 iterations of the British Council’s Global Perceptions survey and QS’s...
Read more
UK: 7 in 10 universities report declining international postgraduate enrolments; visa rejections are part of the story Of universities in the UK surveyed recently by the British Universities International Liaison Association (BUILA), 7 in 10...
Read more
Australia: Multiple data indicators signal further declines ahead for international student numbers A new analysis of student visa trends suggests that the next couple of years – at least –...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links