Chinese students study in Australia for its high-quality, globally recognized education, better career prospects (including potential post-study visas), safer and cleaner environment, and a more balanced lifestyle compared to China's intense academic pressure. Factors like proximity to China, lower costs than the US/UK, and established Chinese communities also make Australia a preferred destination, offering a path to cultural capital and improved global competitiveness.
In terms of the Environmental factor, prior research has shown that Chinese students are interested in studying in Australia because of the unique scenery, climate, cultural attractions, natural beauty, wildlife, and its reputation for clean food, and atmosphere (Hughes et al., 2015, Min‐En, 2006).
University ranking and educational quality
Another major factor in the decision-making process is the destination country's university rankings and general standard of education. The study shows that Chinese students assign a relatively high value to university rankings compared to other factors.
Australia is one of the most popular destinations for overseas higher education and tourism among Chinese people. Australia's Chinese community is also one of the largest in the world, and per capita it is the largest outside Asia, and Mandarin Chinese is the second-most spoken language in Australia.
Motivation to Study Abroad: Chinese students primarily aim to broaden their horizons (67.6%), obtain high-quality education (55.9%), and enrich their life experiences (49.2%), rather than to emigrate. Avoiding the pressure of the Chinese university entrance examination (Gaokao) is also a significant factor (35.8%).
Study abroad Australia provides students with a top-notch education with a vast array of courses and universities that are internationally acknowledged. In addition, it offers an excellent quality of life, outstanding research possibilities, as well as the opportunity to explore lively cosmopolitan cities.
The Blue Book, using 2023 data based on a significant sample size of 366,380 returned Chinese students, announced the UK was the most popular destination for Chinese students returning from studying abroad, accounting for 25.75 per cent of the total, followed by the US at 14.73 per cent and Australia at 11.02 per cent, ...
Chinese migration to Australia has been shaped by restrictive laws and shifting social attitudes. During the gold rush of the 19th century, many Chinese miners travelled to Australia to work on the goldfields.
By 2017 China surpassed New Zealand as the top source of visitors to Australia, and in 2019 Chinese visitors reached a peak of over 1.4 million and had contributed about A$12 billion to the Australian economy.
Chinese citizens can stay in Australia for varying lengths, typically 3, 6, or 12 months per visit on a Visitor visa (subclass 600), with a special 10-year Frequent Traveller visa allowing multiple entries for short stays (up to 12 months total in 24 months). Stays longer than 12 months or for work require different temporary or permanent visas, depending on purpose like study, skilled work, or family, with options for various durations.
No, Australia is not 90% white; while a large majority identify with European ancestry (around 76-80% in recent years), a significant and growing portion identifies as Asian, African, Middle Eastern, or Indigenous, making it a highly multicultural nation with diverse ethnic backgrounds, not overwhelmingly white. Recent census data shows European ancestry (English, Irish, etc.) makes up a large chunk, but Asian ancestries are also substantial, with over 17% Asian population and around 3.8% identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, per the 2021 census data from Wikipedia.
At the same time, the government has capped new student enrolments at 270,000 in 2025, citing concerns about housing. There has been a crackdown on “ghost colleges,” with over 150 shut down, and visa refusals for vocational students rising from five percent to over 30 percent.
There are now some 1.4 million people with Chinese ancestry living in Australia, comprising 5.5% of the population. 1 According to the 2021 census, of Australia's top five ancestries, the only group to have grown since the last census in 2016 was Australians with Chinese ancestry.
Stopping immigration in Australia would cause severe negative economic impacts, including significant labor and skills shortages (especially in healthcare, aged care, and trades), slower economic growth, reduced government revenue, a rapidly aging population, and negative effects on sectors like education and tourism, ultimately worsening public service pressures and potentially increasing housing costs despite initial theories otherwise. While some hoped for housing relief, most analysis suggests it would hurt the overall economy and budget.
Students
The top countries migrating to Australia consistently include India, China, and the Philippines, often followed by nations like the United Kingdom, Nepal, and New Zealand, with India frequently leading in recent skilled migration streams and overall population increase, while the UK historically contributes significantly to the total foreign-born population. Recent trends show strong growth from India, China, Philippines, and Nepal in skilled visas and population influx.
Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is considered the safest city. According to Numbeo, its safety index is 73.6, which is higher than other cities in Australia. It also ranked as the 49th safest city in global rankings.
The largest immigrant group in Australia has historically been people born in England (United Kingdom), remaining the top country of birth for overseas-born residents for many years, but people born in India have seen the largest growth and are now the second-largest group, with China and New Zealand also having significant populations. While the UK still leads overall as the single largest community, recent trends show a significant shift towards Asian countries, especially India, in terms of new migrants and population growth.
Among countries with the highest number of overseas Chinese on each continent, the largest Chinese diaspora community is living in Indonesia, numbering more than ten million people. Most of these people are descendants from migrants born in China, who have moved to Indonesia a long time ago.
Bilateral relations
The Australia-China bilateral relationship is based on strong economic and trade complementarities and longstanding community and cultural links.
Project 985 (Chinese: 985工程) was a higher education development and sponsorship scheme of the Chinese central government for creating world-class higher education institutions, initiated in May 1998.
The “Harvard of China” Peking University(short: Beida, from “Beijing Daxue”) is the center of China's humanities and often called “the Harvard of China” (or, from a Chinese point of view, Harvard is called “the Beida of America”), while Tsinghua is strongest in engineering and the sciences, and known as “the MIT of ...
By absorbing a new cultural environment and learning from a different educational system, many students feel they have a more enriching experience than if they had studied in their home country. Going overseas to study unlocks the opportunity to make friendships with people from all around the world.