Key takeaways:

The impact of visa policy change is severe and is driving students to alternative destinations. It is becoming more difficult for Big 4 to remain attractive for international students. Despite achieving record enrolment numbers in 2023/2024, sustaining this success into 2024/2025 is becoming increasingly challenging. To remain competitive, English-speaking countries must emphasise their unique advantages and actively recruit students from regions with higher visa acceptance rates.

India experienced the largest decline in student visas, particularly to Canada. Meanwhile, Vietnam and Nepal are increasingly favouring the UK and US over Australia and Canada.

Emerging markets worth exploring include Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, which show promising growth trajectories for Australia and New Zealand. Canada should focus on the Middle East, where student mobility is increasing, albeit in smaller numbers. For the US, markets in South and Central Asia demonstrate growing recruitment potential.