Australia announces changes to student visas to attract quality students
Saturday, 12/11/2011
Getting an Australian student’s visa will now require a confirmed admission in a course there, the Australian high commission here said Wednesday.
Changes in students’ visa laws in Australia now compel those applying for it to produce a proof of enrolment in a course in Australia first. A statement from the high commission said the change has been made effective from Saturday.
From Nov 5, student visa applicants will need to ‘include a confirmation of enrolment (COE), issued by their intended education provider, as part of their student visa applications’, the statement said.
‘This will improve processing time as students will no longer need to wait for a Pre-Visa Assessment (PVA) letter to be issued by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) before arranging their COE,’ it added.
Australian High Commissioner to India Peter Varghese welcomed the changes in students’ visa regime made by his country’s government.
Stating that he ‘strongly supports’ the changes, he said it would make Australia a more attractive destination for ‘high quality’ students.
‘Australia is a quality education destination and these changes will strengthen that reputation. We look forward to welcoming high quality students from India. Australia is a great place to study and I encourage all Indian students to consider the many benefits of studying in Australia,’ Varghese said.
A new ‘genuine temporary entrant’ (GTE) criterion was also implemented Nov 5.
‘This criterion will assist Australia to ensure that students are intending a temporary stay only for the purposes of their education. GTE will be assessed by interview in most cases and will consider the student’s background and the value of the course to their future,’ the statement said.
Changes are also being made to reduce the financial requirements for Assessment Level 3 and 4 students.
‘A reduction in the period of funds to be shown upfront with a visa application should make obtaining a student visa to Australia more competitive with other popular study destinations,’ the statement added.
