Amber Beat Global Student Accommodation Market News - December 2025, Week 01

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Amber Beat is a weekly snapshot of the key developments in top student accommodation markets.  This newsletter provides you with all the information you need to know, from new upcoming projects to current trends, news affecting students to government policies, we’ve got you covered!

Amber Beat | News from December 01-December 07, 2025

United Kingdom

• UK study visas steady in YE Sep 2025 but still 31% below 2023 peak as Indian students lead with 99,128 visas, followed by China (89,397) (Source)
• ONS reports 80% fall in UK net migration from its 2023 peak, partly due to higher Indian departures, yet Indians remain top arrivals in YE June 2024 with 90,000 study and 46,000 work visas (Source)
• HESA data indicates wide sector impact from proposed £925 international-student levy, UCL (£25M), Manchester (£18M), Hertfordshire (£17.5M), Coventry (£16.8M), Sheffield Hallam (£16M) most exposed (Source)
• UK targets January deal to rejoin £23B Erasmus scheme from 2027, signalling renewed push for closer EU ties (Source)
• University of Essex to shut Southend campus in 2026 and cut 400 jobs amid sector-wide financial pressures, with international enrolments 52% lower since 2021–22 (Source)
• York rents double to £200 a week, exceeding student loans, forcing many to commute or rely on parents, sparking fears of poorer students being pushed out (Source)
• Loc8me expands to Exeter, adding 2,500 properties and homes for over 8,000 students to its portfolio, entering its 16th university city across UK (Source)
• Unite Students’ 952-bed Meridian Square PBSA secures Gateway 2 approval, advancing 41-storey Stratford scheme (Source)
• London deputy mayor Jules Pipe overturns Westminster refusal to approve Unite Students & Travis Perkins’ 605-bed Paddington tower (Source)
• 930-bed PBSA scheme cleared in Woolwich as Re:shape unlocks key site closed off for over 20 years (Source)
• Dominus and Cheyne Capital secure BSR Gateway 2 approval for 875-bed Fleet Street PBSA (Source)
• Fusion Group, Cheyne Capital acquire Dockside Canada Water site in London, adding 742 PBSA beds and 79 affordable homes to their London pipeline (Source)
• X1 Sales & Lettings doubles Liverpool PBSA portfolio from 719 to 1,420 units in six months (Source)
• Southwark Council recommends approval for iQ Student’s Blackfriars redevelopment, featuring 600 PBSA beds alongside wider mixed-use scheme (Source)

United States of America

• New international enrolments in US drop 17% in Fall 2025 as visa curbs and policy changes put $1.1B and 23,000 jobs at risk, as per IIE and NAFSA (Source)
• US sets new record with 1.17 million international students, supported by 21% rise in OPT to 294,253, while new enrolments fall 7.2% to 277,118 in 2024/25 (Source)
• US Secretary of State signals tougher visa scrutiny, says “no student is guaranteed a visa” even as Indian enrolments rise 9.5% and total international students reach 1.17 million (Source)
• Foreign student spending in US drops a record 5.3%, a $3B annual hit, amid Trump administration visa crackdowns (Source)
• Linda McMahon launches federal portal requiring US universities to disclose all foreign funding over $250,000 (Source)
• Major US loan reforms to hit in 4 weeks, with easier entry into IBR, end of SAVE/PAYE/ICR, new 2026 RAP plan, and tax return on forgiven debt from Jan 2026 (Source)
• California’s 140,000 (12.5%) international students at risk as new enrolments drop 17% and graduate numbers fall 12%, putting over $1B in revenue at stake (Source)
• Chinese enrolment jumps from 62,000 to 317,000 (2005–2019), boosting US graduate programmes, STEM numbers and local economies, NBER study finds (Source)
• 6-year college completion remains above 61%; students with high-school dual enrolment graduate at 71.1% vs 57.2% for others (Source)
• Stonepeak–Cardinal JV acquires 2,300-bed Sun Belt student housing portfolio (Source)
• With UK enrolment up 24% since 2019, Lexington adds 1,450 new student beds on East Maxwell, with more PBSAs underway amid 4,739-unit student housing shortfall (Source)
• Henderson Park and Landmark Properties to develop The Mark Charleston, a 335-bed waterfront PBSA in Charleston, aiming for AY 2027–28 delivery (Source)
• Subtext adds 259-bed District Flats in first acquisitions-arm deal, expanding its $2.5B student housing pipeline (Source)

Australia

• Australia reports record 495,652 international university students in 2024, 32.7% of total enrolments (Source)
• Australia passes new integrity legislation sharpening definitions of education agents and commissions to tighten overseas-student recruitment oversight (Source)
• Australia’s student-visa backlog hits 50,000, as immigration officials warn of resource shortage delaying applications (Source)
• International education moves beyond the Big Four; Asia, Middle East, and Latin America rise in student inflows, as Australia, the US, UK, and Canada lose ground (Source)
• Australia vows reforms to boost campus safety and support for Indian students while assuring continued educational ties (Source)
• Australia faces 46,590 student visa appeals as refusals surge, with 400,000+ students on bridging visas in August (Source)
• Australia platform PickMyUni launches a new tool letting students compare university courses, fees and rankings side-by-side — to help international applicants make informed choices (Source)
• Japanese firm Samty Holdings acquires majority stake in UniLodge for A$600M+, becoming majority owner of Australia’s largest PBSA operator with 45,000 beds (Source)
• International students in Australia forced into informal housing as PBSA waits grow, 315,000 in NSW, many sacrifice tenant rights just for a bed (Source)
• Australia’s PBSA market grows sharply, demand up 20% in 2025 as supply struggles to keep pace, Cushman & Wakefield reports (Source)
• Centurion Corporation expands into Perth student housing, takes 25% stake in 472‑bed PBSA project near University of Western Australia for A$6M (Source)
• Perth’s education boom drives 18,000 square meters of new leasing; new ECU city campus set to draw around 10,000 students and staff (Source)

Canada

• University of Guelph ranks #1 in Canada for veterinary and food-science studies and secures three subjects - veterinary (11th), food science (18th) and agricultural science (43rd), among the world’s top 50 (Source)
• Canada ranked 4th-best education system globally in 2025, boasting 99% literacy, strong safety and world-class universities like McGill University (27th) and University of Toronto (29th) (Source)
• Canada tops higher-education admissions for Indians, with 4.27L students, and 18.8L Indian students abroad in 2025 (Source)
• IRCC enables spouses and dependents of international students and foreign workers to obtain open study permits, without a Letter of Acceptance or counting against student caps (Source)
• Quebec and Canada raise minimum financial requirement for study-permit applicants starting January 2026 to strengthen visa scrutiny (Source)
• Canada’s study-permit rules tighten: from Jan 1 2026, international students headed to Quebec must now prove CA$24,617 in living-cost funds (Source)
• Canada’s international-student cuts risk talent loss as highly skilled immigrants show 11% five-year and 34% 25-year exit rates, far higher than lower-skilled groups (Source)
• Budget 2025 pledges CA $1.5 billion over coming years to support student and youth employment, but offers no major fresh relief for student costs or tuition fees (Source)
• New Concordia research study finds boosting housing supply reduces affordability pressures; 20% cut in approval delays could improve affordability by 17%, helping households and local economies (Source)
• Canada begins pilot testing digital visas; a small group of approved Moroccan visitor visa applicants now receive a digital visa alongside the traditional passport sticker (Source)
• Ontario colleges face major financial strain, drawing 30% revenue from international students, amid a steep decline in international-student enrolments (Source)
• Canada allows cancellation of already-issued study permits, a move that has unsettled thousands of Indian families who had planned studies abroad (Source)
• Canada raises immigration fees starting December 1, 2025 - study permit and related fees go up; IEC permit now CA$184.75 (Source)

Europe

• 76% US students plan to study abroad in 2025, Europe (33%), Canada (28.8%), UK (25%) top choices amid safety, political and cost concerns, Acumen & Voyage report finds (Source)
• Germany now hosts over 402,000 international students in 2024/25; up 6% year-on-year, with a record 116,600 new enrolments (Source)
• EU and UK visa-rule overhauls from December 2025 tighten maintenance proof, raise UK fund requirement to £1,529/month, and heighten compliance across EU visa procedures (Source)
• Indian students increasingly choose Europe over US, UK, and Australia for lower costs and flexible visas; Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Finland rising fast (Source)