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

  • Japan: Greater availability of in-country English programmes is exerting some downward pressure on outbound mobility Read More
  • UK: Sponsored study visa issuances down, rejection rates up, and more Read More
  • Beyond borders: Why student support matters more than ever in transnational education 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

UK: Sponsored study visa issuances down, rejection rates up, and more If you are an international student prospect, where you live in the world increasingly determines where you can...
Read more
ICEF Podcast: Student flows are shifting. Are agencies following suit? Listen in as ICEF’s Craig Riggs and Martijn van de Veen recap some of the latest developments in...
Read more
New data provides early signals that Canada’s popularity as a study destination is on the rise Demand for study in Canada appears to be on the rebound, according to search data from two major...
Read more
UK universities bracing for a further decline in international enrolments Last year, the number of foreign students in UK higher education declined by -6%, according to data from...
Read more
Australia orders a year-long pause on new VET and ELICOS provider registrations In a legislative instrument dated 18 May 2025, Australia’s Assistant Minister for International Education Julian Hill has ordered...
Read more
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
What are you looking for?
Quick Links