Hon. Michael Knight, AO, in his strategic review of the student visa program, recommended a number of changes to help increase the competitiveness of the international education sector. The following changes will be implemented by DIAC by the first half of 2012:
1. Streamlining visa processing for students who package their non-university courses with an eligible university course including students coming for semester or year long non-award courses, for example, as part of an agreed student exchange program .
2. Allowing all School sector student visa holders to study English for up to 50 weeks.
3. Removing the English language requirement for Schools sector visa applicants subject to Assessment Level 4.
4. Developing an integrated policy in relation to the award of scholarships and the management of visa arrangements, in particular, for awardees with a disability or HIV for AusAID or Defence (subclass 576) visa applicants
5. Supporting high-quality Australian vocational education and training (VET) providers to expand their offshore training services through programs such as Austrade’s Export Market Development Grants Scheme.
In addition, these changes were implemented on 5 November 2011:
1. reduction in financial requirements for Assessment Level 3 and Assessment Level 4 student visa applicants
2. inclusion of prepaid homestay fees in the financial assessments of student visa applicants.
Reductions in financial requirements
From 5 November 2011, the financial requirements for Assessment Level 3 and Assessment Level 4 student visa applicants are reduced in this manner:
Evidence of funds for Assessment Level 4 applicants is reduced from 36 to 24 months and, if evidence is being presented as a cash deposit, their savings history is reduced from six to three months. Evidence of funds for Assessment Level 3 applicants is reduced from 24 to 18 months.
This reduces the financial requirements by up to approximately AUD36 000 for an Assessment Level 4 applicant and up to approximately AUD18 000 for an Assessment Level 3 applicant.
These changes apply to applications for visa subclasses 570, 571, 572, 573, 574, 575 and 580 lodged on or after 5 November 2011.
What are assessment levels?
Assessment levels serve to align student visa requirements to the immigration risk posed by applicants from a particular country studying in a particular education sector. Assessment Level 1 represents the lowest immigration risk and Assessment Level 5 the highest. The higher the assessment level, the greater the evidence an applicant is required to demonstrate to support their claims for the grant of a student visa. See: www.immi.gov.au/students/student-visa-assessment-levels.htm
Why have the changes been made?
The changes will help increase the competitiveness of the international education sector by reducing the requirement for financial evidence.
The genuine temporary entrant (GTE) criterion has been introduced as an upfront integrity measure. The GTE will help to ensure that only those who genuinely intend a temporary stay in Australia for the purpose of study would be granted student visas. See: www.immi.gov.au/students/_pdf/2011-genuine-temporary-entrant
The Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) Requirement
The GTE requirement explicitly addresses whether the individual circumstances of an applicant indicate that their intention is for a temporary stay in Australia.
Student visa applicants must be both a GTE and a genuine student to be granted a visa.
What is a genuine student?
A genuine student is a student who intends to obtain a successful educational outcome and has the language, educational and material background to have a reasonable chance of achieving this educational outcome.
Factors that are considered under the existing requirement to be a genuine applicant for entry and study as a student include: English language proficiency; financial capacity; prerequisite schooling; age requirements; and intention to comply with visa conditions. There are no changes planned to the genuine student requirement.
Why has the GTE requirement been introduced?
The GTE requirement was introduced on 5 November 2011 and will help improve the integrity of the student visa program.
A number of the proposed changes arising from the Strategic Review of the Student Visa Program would relax visa requirements for international students. These other changes can only be made possible through the introduction of the GTE requirement.
Will this make it harder to get a student visa?
The GTE requirement will not make it more difficult for genuine student visa applicants to obtain a visa. It will, however, provide a useful way to help identify those applicants who are using the student visa program for motives other than gaining a quality education.
What is genuineness?
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship has been assessing the genuineness of visa applicants for many years. For example, the department currently successfully assesses visitor visa applicants against the genuine visitor requirement.
A genuineness assessment is generally made by taking into account a number of personal factors relating to an applicant such as their immigration history, circumstances that may encourage the applicant to return to their home country and conditions that might encourage the applicant to remain in Australia.
The GTE requirement operates in a similar manner to the department’s genuine visitor requirement. The genuine visitor requirement has been in operation for a number of years and in 2010-11 over 1.5 million visitor visa applicants were assessed against the requirement.
Notwithstanding the information stated in the above article, it is still important to consult a registered migration agent to obtain specific advice regarding the applicant's particular circumstances.
A registered migration consultant, Felix Carao, of ALLKILLS MIGRATION CONSULTANCY AUSTRALIA is giving FREE initial consulation and FREE study program counselling and course enrollment for prospective international students. Felix Carao is a Registered Migration Consultant (MARN 1069354), a Qualified Education Counsellor (QEAC G028), and an Accredited Recuitment Professional (MRCSA 51889). For enquiries, you may call 04 1232 1187 or email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.allskills.com.au
