Amber Beat Global Student Accommodation Market News - February 2026, Week 02

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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 February 07-February 13, 2026

United Kingdom

• UK study visa applications down 31% year-on-year to 19,800 in January 2026 (Source)
• UK universities cautioned against over-reliance on US market as a long-term substitute as 2024-25 enrolment hits record 23,565, up from 22,955 in the previous year (Source)
• Wales opts out of England’s £29,385 Plan 2 student loan threshold freeze, citing unclear financial and operational implications (Source)
• Scotland refuses proposed £925 international student levy from 2028, doubling down on global recruitment strategy to position itself as a welcoming study destination (Source)
• URKI to raise minimum PhD stipend from £20,780 to £21,805 from October 2026, with London up to 23,805 (+4.5%), while increasing per-student fees to universities by 4.6% to £5,238 (Source)
• UK government consults on reforming social work student funding, with £50M a year in bursaries and grants to be more tightly targeted at low-income students (Source)
• Repayment threshold changes for Plan 2 student loans affecting 5.8 million graduates raise concern, as Martin Lewis calls for rethink (Source)
• UK student loan system loses sight of 376,000 graduates, leaving nearly £13B in repayments unverified (Source)
• McAleer & Rushe tops out 782-bed 65 Crutched Friars PBSA in the City of London for Dominus, targeting 2027/28 opening (Source)
• Alumno breaks ground on £23M, 262-bed St George’s Road PBSA scheme in Glasgow, targeting 2027 completion (Source)
• Orford House Developments secures approval for 377-bed Norwich PBSA (Source)
• Zinc Real Estate secures approval for 10-storey PBSA comprising nearly 300 beds to support Exeter University housing demand (Source)
• Abode Asset Management secures approval for 205-bed PBSA conversion in Radford, Nottingham, redeveloping former leather factory (Source)

United States of America

• Rising H-1B costs push employers to reassess L-1 visas ahead of March registration window (Source)
• Columbia and Barnard join Harvard in amicus brief defending international student visa access and enrolment rights (Source)
• President Trump signs $79B FY2026 education funding bill, offering modest growth and tighter federal oversight (Source)
• Federal lawsuit challenges Trump administration’s $1M ‘Gold Card’ visa program amid claims it bypasses merit-based immigration rules (Source)
• Government data shows $5.2B in foreign funding flowed to US colleges in 2025 (Source)
• Columbia University ranks among top 10 US institutions for foreign funding, reporting $1.2B from overseas sources, including China and England (Source)

Australia

• GSL Index Q4 2025 shows private halls score higher (75.5 vs 72.6), but moving-in satisfaction declines and student stress, loneliness and financial struggles all increased (Source)
• Australian vice-chancellors from 12 universities urge Parliament to pass the Atec bill creating a new tertiary education regulator amid Senate opposition (Source)
• Australia launches the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC), operating from July 2025 to unify VET and higher education, allocate funding and negotiate compacts for student outcomes (Source)
• Australia review finds simple university policy tweaks could save students thousands by aligning study-load rules with welfare, tax, travel and health insurance eligibility (Source)
• Australia removes in-person requirement for some student visa processes, adds that student visa refusals can only be appealed from within Australia amid rising appeal backlogs (Source)
• Australian PBSA leaders to visit Europe in March to study next-gen student living markets as demand, supply dynamics and investor opportunities grow across the continent (Source)
• Knight Frank lists 1,571 sqm vacant Toowong BTR development land at 58 High Street for sale, offering a potential build-to-rent opportunity in Brisbane’s inner suburb (Source)
• Australia’s largest super fund AustralianSuper buys Belfast’s 253-unit Aster House student accommodation from Novel/partners, expanding its £560M UK Living PBSA portfolio to 1,616 beds (Source)

Canada

• Canada simplifies study-permit attestation: joint-degree students now need one provincial/territorial letter, master’s/PhD exempt from attestation from Jan 1 2026 (Source)
• Canada’s 2026 study-permit rules simplify joint-program attestation, ease grad student requirements, affect Quebec permits and increase provincial regulation of international student intake (Source)
• Canada’s universities face financial pressure as international student enrolment falls from over 1 million in early 2024 to about 700,000 by late 2025, hurting budgets and services (Source)
• Canada study prospects return but Indian students face high visa refusals (~74% in August 2025), long delays, housing shortages and stricter work/post-study rules, dimming living-abroad hopes (Source)
• Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology to close after international enrolment drops over 55% amid Canada’s student-permit cap, making its financial model unsustainable (Source)
• Canada’s new 2026 federal study-permit caps are slowing international student arrivals as approvals and PAL access shape varied impacts on universities (Source)
• Canada’s international student enrolments and STEM grad numbers falling under caps; graduate students exempted in Jan 2026 as talent retention issues grow (Source)

Europe

• Germany attracts record 420,000+ international students in 2025/26, up from ~402,000 last year, solidifying its growth as a top global study destination (Source)
• Spain’s universities see international enrolments rise 6.5% to 149,280 in 2023/24, with 11.5% overall share, strong Erasmus+ draw and growing English-taught master’s offerings (Source)
• Ireland updates ILEP student-visa list on 6 Feb 2026, imposing stricter 5-day reporting and spot-inspection rules to protect international students and €2B education sector (Source)
• Netherlands new student intake falls 3% overall and 3.6% for foreign students, declining for the third straight year with biggest drop among EU students, amid housing and recruitment shifts (Source)
• French universities say 2026 budget’s €350M HE increase (€725M with research) won’t match costs or rising student numbers, leaving deficits and teaching/research strain (Source)
• Ireland’s new Residential Tenancies Bill 2026 criticised for missing chance to support purpose-built student accommodation, excluding PBSA from easing measures amid housing strain (Source)