Amber Beat Global Student Accommodation Market News - January 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 January 08-January 14, 2026

United Kingdom

• UK sponsored study visa applications reach 426,300 in 2025, up 5% year-on-year but 10% below 2023 as student dependant applications fall 85% (Source)
• UK to fully replace physical visa stickers with digital eVisas in 2026, extending paperless status to most work and study visa holders from October 2025 (Source)
• Analysis of TNE activity across 178 UK universities (2014/15–2023/24) shows offshore enrolments at 80% of onshore international student numbers, with post-1992 universities driving offshore growth (Source)
• Unite halts 500-bed Bristol scheme releasing £55M of capital, cancels 605-bed Paddington project with £10M charge, pre-lets at 64%, expects 93–96% occupancy, and 2–3% rise in rents for 2026–27 (Source)
• £150M, 530-bed Bristol PBSA scheme secures planning and Gateway 2 approval for 2026/27 delivery (Source)
• 14-storey, 256-bed student housing development at Joseph’s Well approved by Leeds City Council (Source)
• Scape submits EIA for 850-bed, 48-storey PBSA in South London's Elephant and Castle, targeting 2027 construction and 2030 completion (Source)
• Downing Students proposes 551-bed, 28-storey PBSA tower at Anderston Quay, Glasgow (Source)
• TREC Capital submits plans for 287-unit, 15-storey student housing tower replacing vacant office block in central Glasgow (Source)
• Bathford Partners submits plans to convert Grosvenor House into 103-bed student housing scheme in Bath (Source)

United States of America

• US to raise premium processing fees for F-1 visa status and OPT filings from March 1, 2026, with I-539 rising to $2,075 and I-765 to $1,780 (Source)
• USCIS pauses OPT and status change applications for nationals of 39 travel-ban countries, creating uncertainty for international students and post-study work timelines (Source)
• US Education Department finalises new accountability rules linking federal aid eligibility to graduate earnings under President Trump’s higher-ed reform framework (Source)
• Japanese student entries to the US decline by 2,945 in 2025, falling to 26,635, with May issuances down 40% year-on-year amid tighter screening (Source)
• 15% drop in US international master’s enrolments projected in 2025/26 by Validated Insights study, implying ~64,000 fewer students amid visa and post-study work uncertainty (Source)
• 8,000 student visas revoked in US under President Trump as part of 100,000 non-immigrant visa cancellations amid tighter scrutiny of international students (Source)
• Subtext and Larson break ground on 1,193-bed, 21-storey VERVE College Station near Texas A&M University (Source)
• University of Virgina partners with Capstone Development Partners to deliver new on-campus housing for 780 students by fall 2027 (Source)
• Batson-Cook and 908 Group team up for new 129-unit, 511-bed student housing development, Chapter House FSU, near Florida State University (Source)

Australia

• Australia tightens student visa rules ahead of 2026 intake, moving India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan to highest-risk category and increasing checks, documentation, and processing times (Source)
• Australian government allocates $8.3M in Regional Partnerships Project Pool to reduce barriers and widen tertiary access for regional, remote and disadvantaged students via eight funded projects (Source)
• Bond University tops national rankings with No.1 learner-engagement among 42 Australian universities, and ranks high across seven categories including teaching, support and resources (Source)
• 7 Australian universities to share A$20 million in new government defence research funding, alongside A$20 million to private firms, supporting priority defence-relevant projects (Source)
• Australia’s education sector plans a PR campaign to highlight 833,041 international students’ economic value amid public migration opposition, with 190,799 new students down 15% in 2025 (Source)
• WA launches $1M Premier’s WACE Scholarship for international WACE graduates, offering up to two $50,000 and thirty $30,000 awards to study at five WA universities (Source)
• Centurion Accommodation REIT completes A$345M acquisition of EPIISOD Macquarie Park student housing in Sydney, marking its first PBSA asset in the city, fully debt-financed (Source)

Canada

• Canada’s top universities for CourseCompare’s 2026 rankings feature University of Toronto #1, McGill, and UBC among 34 institutions with global positions, guiding students’ study and job prospects (Source)
• Canada launches $1.7B Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative to attract 100 research chairs and 1,000 international researchers, students, and postdocs over 12 years (Source)
• Canada’s international students contributed over $30B to the economy; federal study-permit caps led to a $73M revenue shortfall at U of T and slower enrolment (Source)
• Canada’s 2025 international student changes: study permit cap cut 10% to 437,000, stricter spouse work permits, new school transfer rules, higher living funds, and revised PGWP eligibility (Source)
• Canada 2026 study cost for Indian students about ₹24 lakh/year: CAD 36,100 undergrad, CAD 21,100 postgrad, plus ~CAD 15,000 living and visa/permit costs (Source)
• Canada’s 2026 immigration changes cut study permits to 408,000, with 74% Indian student visa denials reported, and introduce new PR paths for doctors and managers (Source)
• Investors pour capital into student housing; Canada sees ~725,000 study permit holders, strong demand amid limited supply, and major acquisitions underway (Source)
• Manitoba post-secondary enrolment falls after federal government cuts international student allocations by 40%, from 18,591 in 2025 to 11,196 in 2026, straining institutions and reducing overseas intake (Source)

Europe

• Ireland’s 44,500 international students in 2024/25 hit a record high, 10% higher than last year, with Indian enrolments up 30% YoY, and US student numbers also rising, boosting growth (Source)
• Ireland Government’s 2026 fully funded scholarships offer €19,000 annual stipend, €5,750 tuition coverage and €3,250 research support for bachelor’s to PhD students; deadline March 12 (Source)
• Ireland announces €4.55B investment (2026–30) to boost university research, facilities and innovation, including €2.45B for research/innovation funding (Source)
• France expands Classes Internationales to 7 countries including India, Vietnam, China, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Indonesia; applications open for 2026 entry to 200+ programmes (Source)
• Latin American international education in 2026 sees outbound mobility rising, visa tightening steering students toward Europe/Spain, Brazil/Mexico scholarships growing, and new host destination policies emerging (Source)
• Galway City Council recommends refusal of controversial 240-bed student accommodation; public meeting set Jan 28 in Galway, Ireland at Westside Shopping Centre after planning compliance concerns (Source)

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