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Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Scott Morrison has recently joined Minister for Education, Christopher Pyne to announce a series of measures which would ease student visa rules to improve Australia’s international sector.
In the announcement, the two Ministers revealed that Australian government will simplify student visas by streamlining the assessment-level framework (ALF) and by extending streamlined visa processing arrangements to non-university degree providers with low risk.
As Minister Morrison stated, the measure package includes reducing assessment levels under the ALF from five to three, as well as reducing financial evidence requirements for AL3 students from 18 months to 12 months, as long as the student applicant is funded by a close relative. The change would help foreign students from a number of key markets be able to apply for an Australian student visa with a bank account of up to $AUD 40,000 less than that required by the current rule.
“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,” said Minister Morrison.
The streamlined visa application process is said to benefit up to 22 low-risk non-university providers that deliver Bachelor, Masters or Doctoral degrees, or providers for students enrolled in an eligible exchange program.
The measures are expected to make the international education sector attract more foreign students to Australia, as well as to restore it as one of Australia’s most important economic contributors.
“These changes would allow the vocational training sector to contribute more freely to our plan to restore Australia’s tertiary education system to its former peak of almost $19 billion in export income for the nation,” said Minister Pyne. “The non-university education system supports thousands of Australian jobs directly, and indirectly. If we cut red tape and allow more students into Australia to access a world-class tertiary education we all stand to gain.”
If you are interested in Australian visas, contact International Education Agency – Australia (IEAA)  for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our migration services to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Australia.