Friday 15 July 2011

ACCC to help fight 'dodgy' colleges

AUSTRALIA'S consumer watchdog could begin policing the operations of training colleges, enforcing standards and carrying out checks to help weed out dodgy providers.

The push to involve the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in enforcement in the private training industry comes as the latest figures show the troubled international student sector has shrunk by almost 10 per cent in a year.

Data released by the federal government this month shows a 9.1 per cent decrease in enrolments to May on the same period last year.
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Changes to visa rules, the high Australian dollar and negative publicity about the safety of international students in Australia have all contributed to the drop in demand from overseas students. Several private college closures have added to the problem, and Overseas Students Ombudsman Allan Asher said he intended to work with colleges to ensure students are getting a fair deal.

''It's our expectation that any education providers who want to stay in business, who want to create a good reputation … are going to respond reasonably quickly,'' he said. ''We know [that it is not everyone] and for those who do engage in misleading or deceptive conduct, or unfair conduct, we'll have tools to use there too.''

Mr Asher said the ACCC would be part of the ombudsman's enforcement strategy, and the two agencies were working on reaching a formal information sharing and investigative relationship. He said he hoped the two bodies would sign a memorandum of understanding later this year.

''We're hoping to enlist them so that, if we do find instances of deliberately wrongful conduct on behalf of providers, there can be some swift intervention,'' he told the Council of International Students Australia's education conference on Tuesday.

''They have quite wide powers … and so far they've expressed a willingness to act to try and protect and enhance the credibility of this sector.''

The Overseas Students Ombudsman was established this year as part of a federal government strategy to better monitor and regulate the international education sector.

The ombudsman has jurisdiction over Australia's 900-odd private education providers, and has received about 100 complaints so far.

Mr Asher said he expects that number to rise significantly, but that complaints have mostly been resolved quickly once his office became involved.

The new watchdog is one measure the federal government is hoping will help improve the international student experience, following sustained pressure on the industry as student numbers plummet.

The latest enrolment figures show there is some growth in enrolments at the university level - a 2.3 per cent increase on May 2010 - but that in the vocational training sector numbers continue to slide.

Year-to-date vocational training enrolments at May 2011 fell by 18.8 per cent on last year, with the largest drop in the English language sector.

Friday 1 July 2011

Victoria announces ten scholarships for Indian students

Ten Indian scholars will be awarded 90,000 Australian dollars each to pursue their PhDs at any of nine universities in the state of Victoria from next year under a new programme.

"The nine top nine universities have agreed to provide a full tuition waiver and the new scholarships, providing Australian dollar 90,000 over the duration of doctoral studies for each PhD scholar and will support living costs and education-related travel," Australian High Commissioner to India Peter Varghese said, launching the Victoria India Doctoral programme.

The universities where the Indian students can pursue their PhD are Deakin University, University of Melbourne, La Trobe University, Monash University, RMIT University, Swinburne University, Australian Catholic University, University of Ballart and Victoria University. Varghese said same visa conditions will apply to the scholars going to Victoria and they will not be treated differently.

He also maintained that the scholarship programme is in no way linked to wooing India students Down South. Victoria is one of the most populous states of Australia with a large concentration of the Indian diaspora.

Launching the programme in Melbourne, Victoria's Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business and Minister for Tourism and Major Events Louise Asher said, "the scholarships programme will contribute to global knowledge and help build a closer partnership between India and Australia.

Tuesday 21 June 2011

Australia is looking for the best of people

Whether you are a professional planning to migrate to Australia, or a student, come July 1, migration rules are set to change. As the Australian economy rebounds to normal, the country is set to face a shortage of qualified personnel, and the labour force growth is projected to go into the negative by 2036, unless preventive measures are taken.

Peter Speldewinde, assistant secretary, department of immigration and citizenship, government of Australia, says that the focus will now be on strategically selecting migrants whose skill-sets match Australia's labour market requirements.

"Australia is looking to filter the best of people to come and help us build the nation. There will be a highly qualified flow of people applying for migration," says Speldewinde.

VISA APPLICATION

Australia will move to a two-stage process for visa applications from July 1. People will have to submit an electronic 'expression of interest' indicating their skills, work experience, English language skills, qualifications, etc. Based on the self-assessment done electronically, the government will make offers to apply for a visa, electronically. The offer will be valid for two months. This will allow the government to match applications to the available processing resources and the labour market requirements in the country, besides cutting down on visa processing time.

NEW POINTS SYSTEM

Under the new points system (announced on July 11, 2010) to come into effect from July 1, points will be awarded for recognised overseas qualifications, unlike earlier, as a means to filter those with cream qualifications. Points will also be awarded for work-experience of up to 10 years from the date of submission of the visa application, under this new system.

Speldewinde says that students wishing to pursue career opportunities are welcome. "Overseas students are an important part of our programme. For students pursuing their degrees here and whose skills are required by an employer, there is no reason why they will not be able to migrate or get visas."

For those seeking permanent migration, the upper limit of the age for application for permanent migration has been increased to 50 years from 45 years. Also, maximum points will be awarded to people in the age-group of 25 to 32 years.

In the temporary migration space, the government will negotiate with mega resource projects under the Enterprise Migration Projects (EMP). Under the EMP, project owners will sign an agreement with the government , which will cover the range of occupations and number of people required for the project, on a temporary basis.

Source  http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-06-20/education/29679097_1_visa-application-overseas-students-migration-rules

Sunday 12 June 2011

Students throng expo to get admissions to overseas institutes

Hundreds of students appeared at the education expo organised by Students Solution on Sunday at a local hotel.

The Students Solution is a counselling organisation which provides opportunities for Pakistani youngsters who are willing to get admission to overseas colleges and professional institutes, Managing Director of the organisation Saima Asim told The News.

“We offer admissions to several colleges and universities of Australia, USA, Canada and the UK.” The candidates, who enrolled themselves during the day-long education expo, said that they would apply for admission to the autumn semester. The organisation offers admission and visa counselling for the UK and Australia against Rs15,000 while the package for USA and Canada is Rs19,500.

“I would take classes for IELTS, an English language test, which will complete in two months and after that I will appear in the test before applying for admission to a UK-based university,” said Muhammad Adeel who had come to the expo to get briefed about the technicalities of admission process.

Another student, Aziz, said that he had scored 7.0 bands in the language test and now he would apply for admission to an educational institution in the USA.

“I came here to get information about universities and their requirements. I was informed that the admission process would take at least three months,” Aziz said.

The organisation has a vast experience of over 10 years in counselling and almost 8,000 students have applied through Students Solution, Saima said.

During the exhibition, the consultants of the organisation briefed the students and parents on the procedure of admission and visa policies. Founded in 1998, the organisation helps students in getting answers to their problems, before they actually face them abroad, Saima claimed.

“My husband, Asim Mairaj, the founder and CEO of the organisation, got his higher degree from a UK University. During his stay, he learned that Pakistani students were not able to get highly paid jobs due to their language skills and educational background and I noticed the same problem during my education career in the USA. We then planned to establish a platform to guide the students so that they can overcome their problems,” she elaborated.

Students Solution asks its candidates to prepare and appear in the IELTS before applying for admission and visa in foreign universities. The organisation does not deal with cases without IELTS, Saima Asim added.

“Students Solution not only helps the students in learning about the academic policies and their impact on students’ visa but also guide them about alternatives available in travel, accommodation, and scholarships,” she said.

“Almost 80 per cent Pakistani students, especially people belonging to middle and lower middle class segments of society, have language issues. As such they usually get back-office jobs, which have low salary packages.”

Besides counselling the students, the organisation also helps candidates in immigration, work and visit visa category as well accommodating families in the UK.

Wednesday 8 June 2011

New immigration policies fail Australia’s national interest

New immigration policies favour employers of temporary workers but disadvantage skilled migrants and family sponsorship applicants, and could ultimately harm Australia’s long-term future.

Employers have been handed much of the power to control who stays and who goes in Australia following a series of key changes to Australia’s Migration Program, the last of which will come into effect in July.

Winners and losers

The biggest winners under the new system will be people sponsored by employers for temporary work visas which can later be converted to permanent visas. The biggest losers will be Australians seeking to bring family members into the country, and those applying for entry under the General Skilled Migration system.

In 2010-11, while the overall size of Australia’s migration program remained at 168,700 places, family migration visas were slashed by 5,750 places and skilled visas by 3,600 places. At the same time, employer sponsored places were boosted by 9,150.

“In the Government’s view it seems employers are the best judges of who should migrate to Australia,” says Mark Webster, Director of Acacia Immigration Australia.

The new Skilled Occupations List which came into effect in July 2010 puts the brakes on the General Skilled Migration program with the number of occupations on the list dropped from 400 to 181. The new Skilled Migration Points Test which starts on 1 July this year will see the system tightened even further.

The cut in places for family migration services means that processing times are getting longer and longer with many people waiting nine months or more for their visas to be processed. Under the new Skilled Migration points test, there is hardly any advantage given to applicants with family members in Australia.

On the other hand, employer sponsored visa options are being actively encouraged by the government which has opened up more of these opportunities within the migration program and streamlined processing arrangements.

The changes reveal the Government’s preference for ‘demand-driven’ migration, where migrants are selected by employers, rather than ‘supply driven’ options, such as General Skilled Migration, which require applicants to pass a points test set by the Australian Government.

“Migration intake should reflect the economic climate and help ensure employers can gain access to skilled professionals in those industries where there are skills shortages,” Mr Webster says.
“The Government is limiting General Skilled Migration, which is about meeting long-term skills shortages, in favour of employer sponsorship which fixes short-term employment problems.

“Many applicants for employer sponsored visas are not highly skilled and are increasingly former working holiday or students visa holders,” Mr Webster asserts.

“Australians need to ask themselves whether it is in the national interest to give so much say to employers in deciding who stays and who doesn’t. The new points test was rushed through cabinet just before the last election with only minimal consultation with stakeholders. However, the legislation has not yet been finalised so it is not too late to make changes.

“It’s time to rethink the demand-driven strategy and look at the migration program as a whole. Otherwise, in a few years time we may be looking at unwinding an out-of-control employer sponsored migration program which does not meet Australia’s needs,” he warns.

Tuesday 7 June 2011

Fall in the number of Indian students going to Australia

While the Australian Immigration Department is trying to relax the visa application process for foreign students interested in studying abroad, the universities are faced with the decrease in international enrolments in the first half of year, especially from India.

According to the latest data on enrolment figures of international students coming to study in Australian universities, there has been a major dip in the number of students getting enrolled in the country. Australian education institutes have reported a further fall of 8.7 per cent in the number of Australian student visa applications in the first quarter of the year compared with the same period last year.

A major concern among the universities and vocational training providers in Oz is the dropping number of Indians entering to study in Australia. Also according to Australian education institutes' report, Indian student numbers have decreased by over 30 per cent. This is adversely affecting the education export sector because India has been major contributor to it. Previously, India has been the second largest market for Australian education industry, only after China.

One of the main reasons for this issue is the racial violence against the South Asian community in the Australian subcontinent. Although the government has been assuring safety to international students visa, parents seem not to be willing to take risk.

If you are interested in Australian visas, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Australia.

Wednesday 1 June 2011

Australian Student Visa Program not “Sufficiently robust.”

A new release from the Australian National Audit Office has revealed that there are not sufficient systems in place to ensure that the Australian Student Visa program is monitored and controlled. It said that the process is not “sufficiently robust.”

The Audit Office found that the DIAC is “struggling to cope” with the number of people involved in the Students Visa Australia Program.

By March last year there was a backlog of 350,000 non-compliance notices from schools and universities where students have not started, attended or finished a course. By March this year the number of students visa with non-compliance notices had reduced to 124,000.

Lead Auditor-General Ian McPhee said “The rapid growth of the program, with over 400,000 overseas students living in Australia in 2009-10, places significant pressure on DIAC’s compliance functions.”

“While the large number of the NCNs (non-compliance notices) in the backlog are trivial and carry no compliance implications, there are potentially serious cases of student non-compliance ‘hidden’ within the backlog, particularly in the category of ‘non-commencement of course’.

This means that Australian Student Visas have been obtained with no intention of the named visa holder enrolling on the course, making their presence in Australia illegal.

“The backlog has prevented these cases from being identified and dealt with.” Mr McPhee said

Student visa breaches mounting

THE Gillard government is struggling to manage the international student visa program, failing to keep track of hundreds of thousands of potential visa breaches.

The Australian National Audit Office has found the Department of Immigration's key administrative structures and processes "were not sufficiently robust" to ensure the "integrity" of the program, while student numbers have soared.

Problems identified included the assessment of visa applicants, with the audit finding the department was "struggling to cope" with the scale and complexity of the program while its assessment methodology was not up to date and did not include current risks.

Auditor-General Ian McPhee also discovered there was a backlog of 350,000 non-compliance notices issued by schools and universities -- when students fail to attend classes, start a course or pass subjects -- that had not been checked by March last year.

"The rapid growth of the (students visa australia) program, with over 400,000 overseas students living in Australia in 2009-10, places significant pressure on DIAC's compliance functions," Mr McPhee concluded.

"DIAC's integrity and compliance units were hampered in managing this pressure by the department's failure to update its national compliance activities and by the backlog of non-compliance notices."

He found the department knew there was a backlog problem in 2006, but it grew to 350,000 last year before action was taken. By March this year, 145,000 of the notices had been "finalised" by department staff.
"While the large number of the NCNs (non-compliance notices) in the backlog are trivial and carry no compliance implications, there are potentially serious cases of student non-compliance 'hidden' within the backlog, particularly in the category of 'non-commencement of course'," he wrote.

"The backlog has prevented these cases from being identified and dealt with."

Mr McPhee also found it was "not feasible" for the department actively to monitor if all 400,000 students had breached their visas -- including whether they had worked more than 20 hours a week.

The audit comes before the release of the government's own review into visas for the $18.6 billion international education industry, which is due mid-year.

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said the department was gridlocked by the Gillard government's border protection policy failures. "What the audit has essentially found is a department unable to tell the government how many students are in breach of their visas; how many are working more than 20 hours a week or how many are not actually enrolled in courses," Mr Morrison said.

A spokesman for Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said the "unprecedented growth" of the student visa program had "presented significant challenges".


Monday 30 May 2011

Australia Approves TOEFL Test for Student Visas

Students from around the world who wish to study in Australia can now use their TOEFL test scores as part of their visa application as announced by Australia's Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).

"I am very pleased the TOEFL test has been chosen as one of the new English test providers and I am confident they will provide a valuable service to student visa applicants," said the Hon. Chris Bowen MP, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. Mr Bowen said he expected two other tests, the Pearson Test of English Academic and the Cambridge English: Advanced tests, would get official recognition for students visa australia later this year. "These additional English language test options will help to create competition in the English language testing market, while creating more test places for student visa applicants. They will also provide candidates with greater choice and enable them to more quickly obtain test results needed for visa applications,'' he said.

The announcement is significant for large numbers of international students from Assessment Level 3 and 4 countries who are interested in studying in Australia. They now have the opportunity to use the TOEFL test to demonstrate their English language proficiency, satisfying the required language component of the visa application process. The students from China, India, Vietnam, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Turkey and the Philippines, who are interested in studying in Australia will benefit from this new change. International students until now had IELTS (International English Language Testing System) only to demonstrate their English language proficiency for Australia student visas. In Australia, the International English Language Testing System is operated by education giant IDP. Globally, IELTS is owned by Cambridge University, IDP and the British Council.

This is a big breakthrough for ETS, the company that owns TOEFL test. The TOEFL test widely accepted in more than 8000 colleges and universities worldwide.

Rajni Bhatla, Director of Kampus Landing says, “The acceptance of TOEFL test for Australian student visas ends the monopoly of IELTS. Now, students once rejected from the USA will be able to apply for Australia immediately.” Further, Rajni is optimistic that this step will provide a major boost to Australian colleges and universities.

Rajni Bhatla said, “The TOEFL test is widely accepted recognized by over 8,000 institutions in more than 130 countries. Globally, the TOEFL test is available at more than 4,500 testing sites. To date, more than 25 million students around the world have taken the TOEFL test.”

The Kampus Landing team expects to send good number of students to Australia this year. Rajni is hopeful that TOEFL in near future will also be accepted in other Australian visa categories.
About TOEFL

For more than 45 years, the TOEFL test has been the most widely accepted English language assessment in the world, recognised by more than 8,000 colleges, universities and agencies including the most prestigious institutions in the U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. And with more than 4,500 test sites around the world, the TOEFL test is more convenient than ever for students wishing to apply for study in Australia.

Source   http://www.theopenpress.com/index.php?a=press&id=106018

Thursday 26 May 2011

Aus govt nod to Pearson for student visa forms

Pearson, the world’s leading education company, announced today that the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has formally approved Pearson Test for English (PTE) Academic as fully satisfying the government’s requirements for testing the English language proficiency of student visa applicants. The decision means that for the first time in ten years, Australian institutions and their potential students will have a choice of government-approved English language testing options.

Chris Bowen, Australian minister for immigration and citizenship, commented: “I am very pleased Pearson has been chosen as one of the new English test providers and I am confident they will provide a valuable service to student visa applicants.”

Fraser Cargill, vice president, Government Relations for Pearson Asia Pacific, explains: “Pearson is proud to achieve DIAC recognition. Australian institutions are facing a challenging time in the increasingly competitive international student recruitment market and it is important that they have the best possible tools available to recruit students. PTE Academic offers a secure, reliable and quick way for Australian institutions to confidently ensure that they are recruiting students who have the right level of English for their courses.”

The computer-based test, already approved by the UK Border Agency, uses cutting edge technology to ensure ID integrity and to minimise cheating. It also offers the fastest score reporting in the market, with test takers receiving their results within five business days.

Wednesday 25 May 2011

International students bringing in $100m for UOW

The University of Wollongong is reeling in close to $100 million a year from international student fees, the latest Auditor-General report reveals.

Overseas student numbers at UOW increased by roughly 4.5 per cent to 7414 in 2010, or almost 40 per cent of the university's overall population.

Last year, international student fee revenue increased to $97.4 million.

In his annual report to Parliament on the state's 10 public universities, Auditor-General Peter Achterstraat noted that Wollongong's large increase in fees and charges revenue in recent years was largely due to a spike in international student numbers.

Around the state, revenue from overseas students has increased 75 per cent in the past five years, contributing nearly 20 per cent, or $1.25 billion, of total revenue.

But in the wake of Australia's soaring dollar, recent changes to visa requirements and increased foreign competition, the university is likely to experience a decline in international numbers in the next two years, according to the report.

UOW Vice-Chancellor Professor Gerard Sutton insisted Wollongong's budget took into account variations in international numbers and would not expose the university to financial risk.

"The Auditor-General's report includes students studying at the University of Wollongong in Dubai, which operates independently and at a profit, as well as students enrolled in offshore courses in Singapore," he said.

"Nevertheless, we do have a strong student international presence of around 25 per cent ... We always budget conservatively on our international student numbers to allow for variations from year to year.

"Having said that, UOW is working hard to minimise the impact of factors outside of our control on overseas student numbers, such as the current strength of the Australian dollar."

In his report, the Auditor-General was critical of Wollongong's handling of leave owed to employees, after the university recorded an 18 per cent increase in the number of staff entitled to at least 40 days off.

That trend, combined with UOW's ageing workforce, produced a $39.7 million liability in long-service leave in 2010, at a rate more than double the sector average over the past five years.

More than 25 per cent of staff are now aged over 55.

UOW was heavily targeted in the Auditor-General's recommendations to reduce the amount of leave accrued.

"The university has not changed its annual leave policies and continues to experience an unfavourable upward trend in these balances," the report said.

"Excess leave balances result in additional expense to the university as the financial liability grows over time due to salary increases."

Prof Sutton said recent changes to leave accrual would help reduce the number of days owed to staff.

"Last year we negotiated with our 1000 non-academic staff a reduction in that accrual from 50 days to 40 days," he said.

"That negotiated reduction will be reflected in future years but does not show in these figures."

Australia to increase skilled migrant visas

Australian government plans to increase visas in skilled migrant category that was targeted by cookery and hairdressing students by almost 30 per cent under its 2011-12 migration programme.

According to a report in 'The Australian' newspaper, the program projected over 29.6 per cent increase in independent skilled migrants, lifting the number of places to 44,350.

The government had been scrutinising this category after visa grants scam to low-skilled overseas students came into light, the report said.

The report quoted Monash University researcher Bob Birrell as saying that the extra spots were good news for former overseas students waiting for a decision on migration applications.

The government said the queue had shortened from 150,000-plus in May last year to just below 132,000 in April this year.

A tougher points test emphasising advanced skills and superior English starts on July 1.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen spokesperson said it would take time for applicants under the new points test to make their presence felt in the system.

"While it is not possible to predict accurately, it is likely that initially a large proportion of skilled independent visas will be granted to people who are assessed under the old points test," she said.

Australia Approves TOEFL® Test Scores for Student Visas

Students from around the world who wish to study in Australia can now use their TOEFL® test scores as part of their visa application as announced by Australia's Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).
"I am very pleased the TOEFL test has been chosen as one of the new English test providers and I am confident they will provide a valuable service to student visa applicants," said the Hon. Chris Bowen MP, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship.

This announcement has significant meaning for large numbers of international students from Assessment Level 3 and 4 countries, including China, India, Vietnam, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Turkey and the Philippines, who are interested in studying in Australia. International students now have the opportunity to use the TOEFL test to demonstrate their English language proficiency, satisfying the required language component of the visa application process. 

"Nearly every university and college in Australia already accepts TOEFL scores for admission purposes. Today's announcement means that students globally can now use their TOEFL scores for both visa and academic admission purposes," explains David Hunt, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of ETS's Global Division.

For more than 45 years, the TOEFL test has been the most widely recognized English language assessment in the world, used by more than 8,000 colleges, universities and agencies, including the most prestigious institutions in the U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. And with more than 4,500 test sites globally, the TOEFL test is more convenient than ever for students wishing to apply for study in Australia. 

"The TOEFL test is the most widely accepted English language assessment worldwide. It is popular with prospective students and agents in all of Australia's major source markets. I'm sure that all of Australia's universities, VET and English language providers join me in welcoming the re-introduction of the TOEFL test for student visa purposes," commented Jeffrey Smart, Pro Vice- Chancellor (International and Recruitment) at Melbourne's Swinburne University of Technology. "For many years, students have been able to gain academic admission into Australia's universities on the basis of their TOEFL score: now applicants will be able to satisfy visa requirements with this test as well. With students in 165 countries taking the TOEFL test, the Department's decision provides a boost to Australia's international student recruitment efforts offering a larger and more diverse applicant pool."

More information about the TOEFL test, including registration dates and free sample test questions, is available at www.TOEFLGoAnywhere.org.

Tuesday 24 May 2011

Student churn muddies picture of real state of visa applications

AN optimistic analysis of student visa applications from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship has been dismissed by industry experts, who say the outlook is bleak and will continue so for some time to come.

Stephen Connelly, president of the International Education Association of Australia, said second semester commencement figures would be the true indicator of any upturn but there was no sign of that yet.

"Overall, my impression is semester two is still flat; we have not yet seen a kick from the improvement in visa assessment levels for India and China, so the situation is still bleak," Mr Connelly said.

In its quarterly report analysing visa applications and acceptances to the end of March, DIAC said 36,523 applications was the second highest March number in the past four years and that numbers were up 6.5 per cent from March 2010.

"March application data is nothing to celebrate when overall the figures look like they have gone backwards three or four years," Mr Connelly said.

But the report stated "student visa applications may be stabilising from the decrease experienced in 2009 and 2010".

The March increase was driven entirely by a seasonal rise in onshore applications, obscuring the ongoing heavy falls in offshore applications.

English Australia executive director Sue Blundell warned offshore numbers were the key measure of new students and that the falls were "alarming".

Offshore applications in March were down 20 per cent from a year ago at just 7571.

IEAA executive director Dennis Murray said the increase in onshore applications reflected a churn of existing students.

"With offshore applications well down, we are cannibalising onshore numbers, which all adds up to an unsustainable situation over the longer term," he said. "I can't see any improvement in sight, onshore or offshore, for some time ahead . . . especially given continuing ambiguous messages from the federal government about whether international students are valued and welcome in Australia," Mr Murray said.

Total student visas granted for the nine months to March were down 11 per cent from a year ago, with the granting of offshore visas plummeting 24 per cent.

The forward picture is similarly down with total visa applications for the nine months to March down almost 8 per cent, but with offshore applications down 25 per cent. The vocational sector has been hit hardest with nine month 2010-11 offshore visa applications tumbling 52 per cent to 15,575.

Offshore applications for the English-language sector were down 15 per cent to the end of March, while offshore applications were down by 22 per cent.

Alternative English language tests added for Australian student visa applicants

Student visa applicants will now be able to use the TOEFL test to provide evidence of their English language ability.
Student visa applicants will be able to use the 'Test of English as a Foreign Language' (TOEFL) US-based testing for English language competency, Australian Immigration minister Chris Bowen announced today.

The move by the Australian government to allow student visa applicants to use the 'Test of English as a Foreign Language' (TOEFL) test when demonstrating English language ability is one that will be of interest to anyone looking to apply for skilled Australia immigration

One of the changes to the skilled immigration application process that is set to be implemented on 1 July with the new Australian points test is that all skilled migrants will be required to take an English language test. Under existing rules, only test results from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are permitted and applicants are only required to take it if they need to demonstrate competency in English or are using the test to obtain further points. 

Students have also had to use the IELTS testing system but along with the introduction of TOEFL, Mr. Bowen has said he expects the Pearson Test of English Academic and the Cambridge English: Advanced Tests schemes to receive official recognition for student visas later this year. 

"These additional English language test options will help to create competition in the English language testing market, while creating more test places for student visa applicants. They will also provide candidates with greater choice and enable them to more quickly obtain test results needed for visa applications'' he said. 

Mr Bowen went to suggest that other visa categories could eventually open up to competition between English language tests, although he would look closely at how the new tests perform with student visas first. 

Monday 23 May 2011

Whether a big Australia or small, immigration can't be ignored

The issue of population has been a contentious one as Australians have heard one leader extol the virtues of a "big Australia" (Kevin Rudd), while his successor, Julia Gillard, shrank from the term and added sustainability to the population minister's portfolio.

Now, that minister, Tony Burke, has released a report on population that is short and contains a glaring omission — meaningful discussion of immigration's role in population growth.

Based upon the immigration intake and previous projections by Treasury, Australia's population is likely to increase to about 36 million by 2050. Yet, the report, Sustainable Australia - Sustainable Communities, makes no mention of any number.

Burke has argued that it is impossible to set population targets, given the variety of factors that can inform population growth. But demographers at the University of Queensland have recently argued that even if we do not set targets, we can, and should, project population ranges. They project that our population in 2050 will be between 29 and 43 million and that there is a 50 per cent likelihood it will be more than 36 million.

Immigration is a big part of the picture here, and one of the few areas of population growth that government can seek to control. It is vital that we consider how immigration fits into the picture.

The report avoids discussion of immigration, most likely because of the political sensitivities around the issue. Just two of the 82 pages of Burke's report are dedicated to the subject. In doing so, it fails to address the importance of immigration, in particular temporary immigration, for population growth. Although it cannot predict the future, government can project, albeit within large margins of error, how much immigration contributes to overall population growth. Net overseas migration is the net gain or loss of population through immigration and emigration. In a report last year, the Productivity Commission said that in 2008/9, this contributed 65 per cent to population growth. Compare this to 1979-80 when it was just 30 per cent.

Some of this growth in net overseas migration related to Australians returning, but the vast majority was a result of increases in temporary migration, in particular increases in international students in recent years. Yet the title "temporary migration" is a bit of a misnomer – in recent years about one-third of international students have changed over to permanent visas following completion of their studies.

Whether international students will continue to add to long-term population growth depends very much on the effectiveness of attempts by Immigration Minister Chris Bowen, to decouple tertiary education from immigration selection. The new points test for skilled immigration, to be released in July 2012, emphasises extensive work experience and high levels of education, rather than defining preferred skills according to a Migration Occupations in Demand List. This list, which was expanded by the Howard government, motivated some international students to enrol in courses that scored highly and contributed to oversupply into the permanent general skilled migration category. The new test appears to reduce this link and thereby, potentially, alleviate long-term pressures on population growth presented by international students.

Nonetheless, Bowen faces a number of new pressure points that could continue to contribute to population growth in the future. The first relates to those 40,000 students visa who applied under the old points test and whose applications for permanent residency are pending. Legal challenges by these students are being contemplated to expedite processing. If successful, these students would gain permanent residency to Australia and would enjoy rights of family reunification, as all permanent residents do, and should.

The second pressure point relates to the budget announcements for an increase in the number of temporary worker visas (457s) and new Enterprise Migration Agreements for "mega resource projects" with capital expenditure of more than $2 million and with more than 1500 workers. It appears that these Enterprise Migration Agreements will be used to bring in migrants, including semi-skilled migrants, who might not otherwise be eligible under 457 visas.

What do these changes mean for population growth? It is important to remember that any migrant who spends 12 out of 16 months in Australia is counted towards the figures for net overseas migration, thereby contributing to the current population size in the short-term.

Even if international student immigration declines in the long-term, will the immigration associated with the Mining Boom Mark II contribute to long-term permanent migration? Although this migration is temporary, there may be opportunities to move onto permanent visas. At present, about half of 457 visa holders move on to permanent residency.

And while we do not yet know the details of the Enterprise Migration Agreements, we do know from experience with semi-skilled guest worker systems in other countries that real temporary migration is difficult to achieve. Given the opportunity to come to Australia, semi-skilled workers may wish to stay. They may search for other visas, or illegal means, to remain.

When the 2010 Intergenerational Report projected that Australia's population would rise to about 36 million by 2050, it was based upon projections of a net overseas migration rate of 180,000 per year. The budget papers make it clear that permanent immigration into Australia in 2011-2012 will be about 185,000. This figure does not include temporary migration from students or short-term business migration. These figures should have been included by Burke in his report.

While the government cannot predict the future, it can make projections, and open discussion about likely net overseas migration is an important part of this conversation. It should have been a central part of Burke's report.