CANBERRA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- International students who want to migrate to Australia may no longer be penalized when applying for visas under government reforms to combat workforce shortages.

Under a new policy platform endorsed by the Labor Party at its national conference, the government has committed to favoring permanent over temporary migration to "create a nation of people with equal rights and a shared interest in our national success," according to The Australian report on Tuesday.

Currently, any international student who expresses a desire to stay in Australia in their application to study in the country is automatically rejected.

A shift from the Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement to a Genuine Student Test will stop punishing those applicants who wish to stay and work in Australia.

The change comes after the government's landmark review of the migration system, which handed down its findings in April, found that Australia fails to retain international students, leaving the country at risk of falling behind in the race for highly-skilled migrants. ■