Indian students to benefit from Australia s new visa regime

MELBOURNE: The new Australian government is set to announce a series of steps to make its student visa regime simpler to attract more foreign students, including those from India, and revive the billion dollar higher education industry.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison and Education minister Christopher Pyne jointly announced that the new coalition Government were keen to revive the industry by undoing the damage done by the former Labor government, according to an official media statement.

The two ministers announced that steps would simplify student visas through a streamlined assessment-level framework (ALF) and by extending streamlined visa processing arrangements to low-risk non-university degree providers. The changes are:

• Assessment levels under the ALF would be reduced from five levels to three
• Financial evidence for AL3 students would be reduced from 18 months to 12 months, provided funds were from a close relative of the student applicant.
• Students from a number of key markets would be able to apply for a student visa with up to 40,000 Australian dollars less in the bank.
• Streamlining of the visa application process would benefit up to 22 low-risk non-university providers for students enrolled in Bachelor, Masters or Doctoral degree courses or an eligible exchange programme.
• The changes will assist all providers, but particularly the vocational education and training sector, making access to Australia's education system more attractive for overseas students

Source: PTI