English Australia released its April market analysis report on Friday and it’s good news.
Headline figures include:
- YTD April ELICOS commencements increased by 205.2% versus April 2022. Enrolments increased by 307.6%.
- Commencements from Latin America continue to be strong, with Colombia increasing by 883.8 % or 9,899 additional students, and commencements from Brazil increasing by 310.3% or 3,953 additional students.
- Commencements from China increased by 57.3% or 1,440 additional students versus YTD April 2022. Chinese students made up 9.1% of commencements within ELICOS.
- Thailand continues to hold the #3 market position with 118% growth or 2,522 additional commencements.
CEO of English Australia, Brett Blacker says of the results “the ELICOS sector is experiencing a positive rebound, surpassing the commencements of 2019 in the year-to-date period until April. It is exciting to see the strong performance of various source markets, particularly with the growth from across Latina America. Although the recovery from China, which was previously the leading source of ELICOS students, has been slower than expected, colleges are reporting a rise in mid-year commencements, which is a positive sign.”
Student Visa Lodgements and Grants
The report indicates total student visa grants across all sectors were up by 76.38% (or 13,416 more grants) for April 2023, compared with April 2022. Student visa lodgements were up by 28.07% across all sectors (or 7,324 more lodgements) for the same comparison period. ELICOS only visa lodgements were 13.03% higher in April 2023 than in April 2022, with 5,186 total lodgements.
Blacker said “The latest independent ELICOS visa data is also encouraging with growth in visa lodgements and grants.
These figures reflect a highly positive trend in the performance of the education sector, as the ELICOS sector is the leading indicator given that around 70% of all ELICOS students pathway on to further academic studies. “ he says.
Once known as the canary in the coalmine, Blacker frames the sector as the seed of growth.
Top 15 Nationalities Granted and Lodged in April 2023
The top source country for ELICOS only lodgements in April 2023 was again Colombia, with 1,961 total lodgements made. The top source country for grants in April 2023 was also Columbia again, with 1,848 total applications granted.
The top three nationalities for visas granted were again Colombia, Brazil, and Thailand, with a combined total of 3,664 visas granted in April 2023.
The top three nationalities for visas lodged were also Colombia, Brazil, and Thailand again in April 2023, with a combined total of 3,264 visas lodged.
The average grant rate in April 2023 for Independent ELICOS visas is 91.5%, with grant rates in Victoria being the lowest, with an average of 88.6%.
