Amber Beat Global Student Accommodation Market News - September 2025, Week 03

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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 September 15-September 21, 2025
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United Kingdom

• UK considers waiving £766 Global Talent visa fee for top talent as US H-1B charge rises to $100,000 (Source)
• Durham University named The Times University of the Year 2026, rising to 3rd, while LSE leads academic rankings with St Andrews 2nd, Oxford and Cambridge joint 4th (Source)
• Oxford tops Guardian’s 2026 UK university rankings with perfect 100 score, St Andrews second at 98.3, and Cambridge third at 94.7 (Source)
• As per UK Home Office data, students account for 47% of UK arrivals, contributing mainly through tuition fees and post-study work (Source)
• UK tops global student destination rankings for Fall 2025, according to ApplyBoard survey of 400 recruitment partners, evident in 16% YoY rise in student visa applications (Source)
• UK watchdog Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) reviews Unite’s £700M takeover of Empiric, which would expand portfolio to £10.5B and 75,000 student beds (Source)
• McLaren Construction Midlands and North complete £26M, 323-bed ‘Fabric’ student accommodation in Nottingham ahead of 2025/26 academic year (Source)
• QuadReal acquires Realstar’s 6,000-unit portfolio spanning London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, and Dublin, including student housing and co-living assets (Source)
• University of Liverpool submits plan for 238 new student beds with Kexgill to meet projected rise of 3,000 students by 2031 (Source)
• HTA Design’s Elephant and Castle scheme for London and Regional receives planning consent for PBSA-led mixed-use development with 1,434 student homes and 243 affordable homes (Source)
• Fusion Group receives planning permission for 666-room student accommodation in £8B ($10.8B) Brent Cross Town regeneration (Source)
• Orchard Wharf wins planning approval for mixed scheme including 1,365 student rooms and 208 affordable homes on long-vacant riverside site (Source)

United States of America

• Trump signs order adding $100,000 (£74,000) annual fee for H-1B skilled worker visas and launches new ‘gold card’ fast-track visa starting at £1M (Source)
• New US visa ban could sideline over 5,700 students, international enrolment expected to drop 30–40%, creating a gap of 150,000 students (Source)
• US visa rule change caps F-1 students at 4 years, risking $50B in contributions and impacting 243,000 OPT participants (Source)
• US students studying abroad rise from 50,000 in 2019 to over 90,000 in 2024 as interest in Europe, UK, and Asia grows (Source)
• US blocks student visas from 19 countries, ends interview waivers, affecting thousands of international students and potentially impacting Indian enrolment (Source)
• Total US student arrivals in July–August 2025 fall to 54,567 from 99,125 YoY, with only 41,540 in August versus 74,825 in 2024 (Source)
• Trump administration’s US travel ban impacts students from Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Iran, redirecting thousands to seek education in Europe, Canada, and Asia (Source)
• US limits third-country student visa appointments, raising rejection risks and concerns over widening global equity gap, impacting international students (Source)
• US colleges report lower international student enrolments this Fall, with universities of Cincinnati and Denver down 25%, Buffalo 15%, Missouri State 16% (Source)
• US tops Studyportals 2025 Student Satisfaction survey with 4.32/5 rating from 102,000 international students, ahead of Belgium 4.29 and Austria 4.28 (Source)
• Galveston College invests $2.4M in new student housing with 36 beds to open by 2026 (Source)
• ACC student housing project approved, funded by USDA RD grants, adding 32 beds for August 2026 (Source)

Australia

• According to the Department of Home Affairs, Australia’s student visa lodgements dropped from 600,000 to 427,000 in 2024–25 due to stricter Genuine Student requirements and higher fees (Source)
• The University of Technology Sydney cuts 1,100+ subjects, closes teacher education, reduces 134 staff, merges 24 schools into 15, saving $100 million annually (Source)
• Temporary visa holders drove 84% of Australia’s migrant employment growth in the last 3 years, international students and graduates fuel skilled workforce expansion (Source)
• Perth approved a $160 million 14-storey student housing project in Nedlands with 850 beds, including 671 single-bed units (Source)
• Australia’s PBSA supply will reach 144,300 beds by 2027, with 11,163 under construction, 15,447 approved, and 12,291 in development application stage (Source)

Canada

• Canada now allows education‑field students to obtain post-graduation work permits (PGWP), generate Canadian experience, and qualify via education‑category Express Entry draws (Source)
• Canada invited 228 foreigners via its Provincial Nominee Program - Express Entry on September 15, 2025, with minimum CRS score dropping to 746 (Source)
• From 2023-25, Canada saw study permit applications fall from 300K+ per quarter to under 100K while approvals plunged even further (Source)
• Northern College generated $98M in revenue from international students in 2024, now forecasting a $6M deficit in 2025‑26 that may double to $12M in 2026‑27 (Source)
• Canada saw a 70-75% drop in student interest over two years, due to visa delays, housing crisis, and stricter immigration policies (Source)

Europe

• Germany will waive visa fees for nearly 49,500 Indian students enrolled in 2023‑24, up 15.1% YoY (Source)
• Indian enrolment in Germany rose to 60K from 49.5K in 2025, as Canada rejected 80% of Indian student visas (Source)
• France hosts 443,500 international higher education students in 2024-25, up 3% annually and 17% over five years (Source)
• France hosted around 2.9M students in 2024, including 7,344 Indians with 2-year post-study visas, and 35K housing units planned (Source)
• Visa restrictions in the US drive 40% more Indian students to France, attracted by scholarships, 35K new housing units, and 2-year work permits (Source)
• Ireland opens applications for 2026 fully‑funded international scholarships, offering €25,000 stipend plus tuition and research support (Source)