AUSTRALIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Australian Universities call for stricter rules for student visas

Thursday, 20 August 2009

Universities Australia (UA) are calling for the Australian Government to implement stricter rules in regards to vocational training to ensure that international students are coming to Australia primarily for education, rather than a pathway to permanent residency.

UA is concerned that large numbers of international students are enrolling in short term vocational courses as a short cut to gaining permanent residency. The concern is that these "PR driven" students and educational facilities are tarnishing the reputation that Australia's educational system has gained.

In its submission to the senate inquiry into international student welfare, UA noted "Regrettably the cheap and dirty route to residency has been encouraged and promoted by some offshore education agents and institutions."

In the past, reforms have been proposed to better regulate off-shore migration agents to help protect Australia's immigration system from such miss-use, but according to many Australian migration agents, these promises have never been followed through.

Minister for Immigration & Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans has stated last month that Australia is going to be more focused on skilled migration moving forward. This indicates that permanent residency is likely to become harder to obtain unless people possess the skills and work experience that is needed.

While Senator Evans has not specifically ruled out permanent residency through the student visa path, many speculate that future reforms will mean that many international students currently studying in Australia may not be eligible for permanent residency upon completion of their studies.

If you are interested in Visas to Australia, 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.