"Let's Recruit Students From Antarctica!" Not the stupidest suggestion of the year (+ real news)

In this episode of the Global Horizons podcast, Rob Malicki and Dirk Mulder record on budget day and work through a packed run of developments affecting international education.They start with two major new research releases from IDP and Studyportals, both pointing to the same broad shift: visa certainty is becoming a much more important factor in student decision-making. From there, they discuss what that means for Australia at a time when policy uncertainty is already weighing on the sector. The conversation then moves into a series of stories that each, in different ways, point to the same underlying tension. Home Affairs is promoting recruitment in emerging markets, even as visa settings continue to create frustration and uncertainty. A new report from the Migrant Justice Centre highlights the scale of wage underpayment affecting international students. And Mike Ferguson offers a thoughtful reflection on the Simplified Student Visa Framework, including a number of practical ideas for how the system could be updated to better reflect current conditions.Highlights include:what the latest IDP and Studyportals research is saying about student behaviourwhy visa certainty is now playing a much bigger role in destination choicethe tension between recruitment ambitions and current Home Affairs settingsa major new report on international student underpaymentMike Ferguson’s ideas for improving the student visa systemAIEC 2026 news and the opening of the Australian Export Awards This episode covers a lot of ground, but the thread running through it is fairly clear: international education is being shaped not just by demand, but by confidence, consistency and trust. Global Horizons is a production of The Global Society, Australia’s Learning Abroad support company. Our editor is Len Zamora and our distribution specialist is Gelo Ablao. Rob Malicki is the executive editor and host. The podcast wouldn’t be possible without The Koala News, Australia’s international education news website. This episode is supported by Choosing Your Uni, Australia's unique, AI-powered platform that helps domestic and international students to find the right institution for them, and that helps Australian institutions to access new markets. For guest suggestions and feedback, email [email protected] Horizons is the official podcast of the ⁠AIEC conference⁠! Registrations are open... grab your spot early!