December 3, 2016

List of Australian Universities

Australia is home to 43 universities with at least one university main campus based in each state or territory.
The Australian Universities map allows you to see where each university’s main campus is located. Most universities have more than one campus and are located across multiple states and territories, providing you with a choice of where in Australia you would like to study.

List of Australian Universities

December 2, 2016

International Students Bring $20 Billion to Australia / John Ross and Julie Hare

By intpartners Australia in statistics, Student Visa, studyinaustralia

International education experts believe the country may benefit even more from political and economic changes in Britain and the United States.

International education’s value to Australia has surged past 20 billion Australian dollars ($14.8 billion U.S.), confirming the industry’s status as the country’s third-biggest earner and easily the largest export of services.
New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that international education has shrugged off a cocktail of problems — including a high Australian dollar, officious visa administration and attacks against foreign students — to post a new revenue record.
Experts say the resurgence could accelerate, if Brexit and Donald Trump’s successful presidential campaign stem student flows to Australia’s two biggest competitors. Figures released last week showed that the growth in the number of Chinese students enrolling at U.S. institutions last year was the lowest in a decade.

Australia’s international education exports totaled 20.3 billion Australian dollars ($15 billion) last financial year, an 8 percent rise compared with 2014-15.
The figure includes fees and onshore spending on goods and services such as food and accommodation, as well as royalties, consultancies and other related services.
Most of the income came from foreigners studying at universities, with the higher education sector attracting about 14 billion Australian dollars ($10.4 billion).
Vocational training institutions earned about 3 billion Australian, English language colleges 1 billion and schools 800 million ($2.2 billion, $740 million and $592 million, respectively).

Universities Australia, which represents institutions, said international education helped sustain Australian living standards, supporting more than 130,700 jobs.
It said more than 320,000 students from 130 countries were currently studying in Australia’s universities.
“Through the exchange of students on a grand scale, we’re forging relationships that underpin our future diplomacy, trade, business links, cultural insight and personal connections,” said Universities Australia’s chief executive, Belinda Robinson.
Meanwhile, newly released government data reveal that Australia’s most prestigious universities are continuing to increase dramatically the number of international students they enroll, largely to help cover the costs of research.
While the national average was just shy of 20 percent international student enrollments, last year Melbourne University enrolled 18,384 overseas students — or 31.2 percent of its total enrollment, up from 16,140 the previous year.
Melbourne was followed by the Australian National University, with 28 percent international students.
The University of Sydney, University of New South Wales, Monash University, University of Technology Sydney and RMIT University all had more than one in four students from overseas.
Previous research has demonstrated that international students not only subsidize the teaching of domestic students but also keep afloat the multimillion-dollar research efforts of major universities.
However, Melbourne’s overseas student enrollments pale in comparison with Federation University in Ballarat, where 42.5 percent of students come from overseas, and Gold Coast-based Bond University, with 41.3 percent.
Local undergraduate students contribute 10,440 Australian dollars ($7,729) a year to study business. For international students, fees to study for a business degree next year range from 19,920 Australian dollars ($14,746) at the University of New England to 39,264 Australian dollars ($29,065) at research-intensive Melbourne University.
Phil Honeywood, chief executive of the International Education Association of Australia, warned that any increase in students deciding against the U.S. or Britain could be tempered by increased competition from Canada, China and New Zealand.

Source: www.insidehighered.com

November 7, 2016

The skills that will help you emigrate to Australia

By intpartners Do you want to work in Australia, immigrationtoaustralia, liveinaustralia, MIgration, Significant Investment Visa (SIV) (Subclass 188 888), Skilled Independent (subclass 189), Student Visa, studyinaustralia, workinaustralia

Australia’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) has released the new Skilled Occupations List (SOL) for 2016-17. The purpose of the country’s skilled migration programme is to attract “highly employable” people for migration, and it is the most common form of migration to Australia.

Australia is one of the biggest gainers through emigration, which is largely accomplished through its “skilled migration programme” which gives preference to skilled foreigners looking to make the country its new home.
The purpose of the country’s skilled migration programme is to attract “highly employable” people for migration, and it is the most common form of migration to Australia.
According to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) new guidelines, these are some of the skills that will give you preference for emigration to Australia.
There are over 185 jobs listed – below is a general overview of the types of skills.

Chefs (excluding fast food or takeaway food services)
Plumbers
Gasfitters
Panel beaters
Carpenters
Fitters and turners
Welders
Engineers (Chemical, Electrical, Aeronautical, Agricultural and many others)
Telecoms (Network planners, Radio technicians, Engineers)
Systems Analysts
Programmers/Developers
Computer Network and Systems Engineers
Psychologists
Doctors, Surgeons and medical specialists
Registered Nurses and Midwives
Veterinarians
Actuaries, Auditors, Accountants

The Skilled Occupations List (SKO) is used for Skilled Independent Visa, Skilled Regional Provisional Visa and Graduate Temporary Visa applications.
In the same report, the DIBP has also released the Consolidated Sponsored Occupations List (CSO) which is used for Skilled Nominated Visa, Temporary Work Skilled Visa and Employer Nominated Scheme visa applications.
The CSO lists skills that companies in Australia are looking for, and employers or the state will sponsor for emigration into the country.
The full list for both classes can be found here: Australia SKO and CSOLists

August 10, 2016

52 occupations may be dropped from Australia's Skilled Occupation List

By intpartners immigrationtoaustralia, liveinaustralia, MIgration, Skilled Independent (subclass 189), workinaustralia

Fifty two occupations may be removed from Australia’s Skilled Occupation List that identifies occupations for immigration to the country. The SOL is a compilation of occupations for skilled migration for the purpose of meeting the medium to long-term skill needs of the Australian economy.
The 52 occupations that have been flagged on the Skilled Occupation List 2016-17 include health professionals, including specialists, engineers, taxation accountants, barristers, solicitors etc.
The federal health department is pushing to scrap 41 jobs from SOL – including GPs, surgeons and anaesthetists, The Australian has reported.
“Immigration is often used as a short-term demand management strategy and it continues to be poorly co-ordinated,” a Health Department submission into the review of the Skilled Operations List reads.
“Over a longer planning horizon, better management of migration pathways for international health professionals must occur in combination with all commonwealth departments”
The move would be counterbalanced by increasing numbers of local medical graduates who could fill vacancies, especially in regional areas.
The Department of Education and Training provides advice to the Minister of Immigration and Border Protection on the composition of the SOL.
The department undertakes the review of the SOL each year following which there are a number of occupations which are ‘flagged’ for possible removal in the future. Generally, occupations are flagged when there is emerging evidence of excess supply in the labour market.
The list of occupations flagged by the Department of Education and Training

July 25, 2016

İsabetli meslek tercihi nasıl yapılır? / Aslı BUGAY

By intpartners studyinaustralia

Hayatta bizi uzun süreli ve derinden etkileyen iki önemli seçim var. Bunlardan biri eş, diğeri ise meslek seçimi. 25’inde meslek hayatına başlayan bir genç, 65 yaşında emekli olacağı düşünüldüğünde 40 yıl mesleğini icra edecek. Yani 40 yılx12 ayx20 günx8 saat = 76.800 saat o meslekte zaman geçirecek. Bu rakamların büyüklüğü, bu tercihin ne kadar önemli olduğunu gösteriyor.

Şimdi öğrencilere sormak istiyorum: Sevmediğiniz bir arkadaşınızı her gün sekiz saat görmeye ne kadar süre tahammül edebilirsiniz? Hoşlanmadığınız bir kişi ile romantik ilişkiyi ne kadar zaman sürdürebilirsiniz? Buna benzer olarak sevmeden yaptığınız bir meslekten bol kazanç ve prestij elde etseniz bile doyum almakta zorlanırsınız. Bu doyumsuzluk sizi benlik saygınızdan yaşam doyumunuza, arkadaşlık ilişkilerinizden evliliğinize kadar birçok yönden olumsuz etkileyecektir. İşte bu nedenle meslek tercihi geleceğimizdeki mutluluğumuzun mimarıdır. Peki bu süreçte neler dikkat etmeliyiz?
Tercih anında ben kimim?
Tercih anında kullandığımız karar verme yaklaşımımız doğru tercih yapmamızı etkileyen önemli bir faktör. Karar verme sürecinde sergilenen davranışlardan yola çıkarak sekiz farklı birey tipi ortaya konuyor:

1- Planlı: Bu birey, karar vermeye sistematik ve adım adım yaklaşan tarza sahip. Bu tür karar verme tarzına sahip bireyler sunulan bilgileri genellikle etkin kullanma yetisine sahiptir. Ancak, bazen de planı aşırı belirlemiş olmaları plana saplanıp kalmalarına ve diğer olası fırsatları kaçırmalarına neden olabilir. Öğrenci sürekli önceki planına bağlı kalması gerektiğini düşündüğü için yaratıcı ve doğal olmaktan uzaklaşabilir. Ayrıca, bu tür bireyler aşırı planlı adımlar nedeniyle zorunlu değişiklikler karşısında da zorlanabilirler.
2- Sıkıntılı: Bu tarza sahip olanlar sistematik bir yaklaşımla adım adım karar vermeye çalışır, ancak kararlarına yönelik seçeneklerin belirlenmesinde, seçeneklere ilişkin bilgi toplamada ve aralarından birini seçmede zorluk çektikleri için kolayca bir karara ulaşamazlar. Bu şekilde karar verenler için eldeki veri ne kadar çok ise karar vermedeki zorluk da o kadar artar. Bu tür öğrenciler tercih döneminde birçok üniversiteyi gezip, bir çok akademisyenle defalarca konuşur ve her türlü sosyal medyadan bilgi toplamaya çalışır. Bilgi topladıkça rahatlayacaklarını düşünmekle birlikte, genellikle doğru karar verme kaygıları yükselir. Çünkü bu tür bireyler sadece genel bilgilere göre karar vermeye çalışırken kendilerinin ne sevdiğini neye ilgilerinin olduğunu gözardı ederler.
3- Tepkisel: Bu karar verme tarzına sahip olan birey sistematik bir süreç takip etmede zorlanır veya adım adım ilerlemenin önemini göz ardı eder. Seçimleri genellikle hızlıdır ve başka seçenekler aramakla veya başka seçenekler için veri toplamakla zaman kaybetmez; farklı seçenekler için bilgi toplama ihtiyacı hissetmez ve seçimi için gerekli olabilecek ek bilgilere değer vermez. Bu tür karar verme tarzına sahip öğrenciler tercih edecekleri üniversiteyi ve bölümü görmeye gerek duymazlar, tercihlerini hızlı alınan kararlarla verirler ve seçtikleri meslekle ilgili olumsuz bilgilere de kulaklarını tıkama eğilimindedirler.
4- Sezgisel: Birey seçenekler içinden en iyisini (daha iyi sonuç vereni) planlayarak ya da adım adım bazı aşamaları takip ederek değil, yalnızca tecrübeden ve görmüş geçirmişlikten faydalanarak sezgisel olarak tespit eder. Bu şekilde karar verenler az bilgi ile yetinirler; bireysel hedeflerini hızlıca belirlerler ve daha fazla bilgi yerine deneyimlerini ve sezgilerini kullanırlar. Bireyin geçmiş deneyimlerini ve iç sesini göz önünde bulundurması sağlıklı, ancak karar almada tek ölçü bunlar olmamalı.
5- Uysal: Bu bireyler müdahaleye izin veren kişilikleri veya sosyal-kültürel nedenlerle kendileri adına başkalarının karar vermesine izin verirler. Başkalarının topladığı verilere güvenirler. Bu öğrencilerin tercih döneminde öğretmenlerinin ya da arkadaşlarının etkisinde kalma olasılıkları çok yüksektir. Kendileri üniversiteler ya da meslekler hakkında bilgi toplamak yerine başkalarının sözüne güvenerek hareket ederler, bu da yanılma olasılıklarını artırır.
6- Erteleyici: Bu bireyler bir karar verilmesi gerektiğini kabul ederler, ancak korku, veri yokluğu veya güdülenme eksikliği nedeniyle karar vermeyi sürekli ertelerler. Bu tarzla karar verenler veri toplamaya veya kullanmaya hazır değildir. Erteleyiciler genellikle tercihi son güne bırakacaklardır. Bunu önlemenin en sağlıklı yolu aile ve öğretmenlerin öğrenciyi bilgi kaynaklarına ulaşmaya özendirmesi, motive etmesi ve eğer gerekirse ona bu süreçte eşlik etmesidir.
7- Kaderci: Bu bireyler yaşamdaki olaylar üzerinde kontrolleri olmadığını ve dış güçlerin etkisi altında olduklarını düşünürler. Bu stile sahip karar vericiler bilgi edinmeye veya bilgileri kullanmaya hazır değildir. Kadercileri, hayatlarının kontrollerinin ellerinde olmadığı fikri kısa süreli rahatlatacaktır ama uzun dönemde kadercilik onları umutsuzluğa ve isteksizliğe de sürükleyebilir. Çünkü kendi tercihlerimizi daha çok benimseriz ve bu bize mutluluk verir.
8- Adeta felç olan: Bu bireyler bir karar verilmesi gerektiğini kabul ederler, ancak sürecin veya sonuçlarının çok korkutucu olduğunu düşündükleri için karar verme yönünde adım atamazlar. Hemen yukarıda özetlenen diğer iki tarza sahip karar vericiler gibi bunlar da veri toplamak veya kullanmaya hazır değildirler. Gerçekten de çok veriye (bilgiye) sahip olmaları onları gerektiğinden daha çok çekingen yapar.
Öğrencilerin kendi karar verme tarzını fark etmesi tercih döneminde çok fayda sağlar. Bu noktada “sıkıntılı”, “tepkisel” ve “adete felç olan” olarak adlandırılan karar verme stiline sahip öğrencilere psikolojik danışma yardımı alarak planlı karar verme stilinin öğretilmesi daha sağlıklı tercihte bulunmalarına yardımcı olur.
Tercih hatalarının nedenleri
Kendini tanımamak: Sağlıklı tercih yapma içgörü ile başlar. İçgörü, bireyin kendisini yorumlaması yoluyla derinden anlaması olarak tanımlanıyor. Öğrencilerin kendi değerlerini, beklentilerini ve kişisel özelliklerini keşfetmeye çalışmaları faydalı olur. Ailelerin çocuklarında gördükleri olumlu ve olumsuz yanları tıpkı bir ayna gibi yargılamadan, büyütüp küçültmeden göstermeleri yani çocuklarının kişisel özellikleri hakkında olabildiğince yansız geri bildirim vermeleri yarardımcı olur. İçgörüsü yüksek öğrenciler kendilerine uygun tercih yapma konusunda daha başarılı olacaktır.
Mesleği tanımamak: Öğrenciler tercih etmeyi planladıkları meslek hakkında ya çok az ya da yanlış bilgiye sahipler. Özellikle sosyal medyadaki her bilginin doğru olmadığı dikkate alınmalı, doğru kaynaklardan bilgi edinilmeli. Ayrıca meslek sahibi kişilerle yapılan görüşmelerde her meslek sahibinin o mesleğin iyi bir temsilcisi olamayacağı unutulmamalıdır. Her meslekte iyi örnekler de kötü örnekler de mevcuttur.
Üniversiteyi araştırmamak: Fırsat varsa üniversite yerleşkesini bizzat gezmek, orada kısa da olsa doğrudan gözlem yapmak çok faydalı olacaktır. Bazı öğrenciler daha çok sosyal ve spor etkinliğine fırsat veren büyük kampüs hayatını tercih ederken bazıları ise öğrenci-öğrenci ve öğrenci-akademisyen ilişkisinin daha sıcak olduğu “butik” tipi küçük kampüsleri tercih edebilir. Hangi tür kampüs hayatının size uygun olacağını değerlendirmeniz keyifli ve başarılı bir üniversite yaşamı geçirebilmeniz için önemli olacaktır.
Şehir özelliklerini bilmemek: Tıpkı kampüs özellikleri gibi tercih ettiğiniz üniversitenin bulunduğu şehrin özellikleri de sizin akademik başarınızda önemli rol oynuyor. En az 4 yıl geçireceğiniz şehrin sosyo-kültürel özelliklerinin size ne kadar uygun olduğu, uygun olmayan yönlerini seçtiğiniz bölümde okumak için ne kadar tolere edebileceğinizi iyi düşünmeniz gerekir. Çünkü yaşadığınız şehir ile okumak için geldiğiniz şehir arasındaki sosyo-kültürel fark eğitim sürecinin niteliğini etkileyecektir.
Hazır Gelecek Tercihi: Bu özellikle bizim gibi kollektif kültürde çok yaygın olan bir meslek tercih etme hatası olarak karşımıza çıkmaktadır. Genellikle aileler çocuklarını kendi uzantısı olarak görmekte ve çocuktan da ailenin özelliklerini mesleki olarak da sürdürmesi beklenmektedir. Buna örnek olarak aile müteahhit ise kendi çocukları ile ilgili “Çocuğumuzun işi hazır, bu nedenle inşaat mühendisliği istiyoruz” diyebiliyorlar. Ya da anne veya baba eczacı ise, “Çocuğumuz eczanenin başına geçer” diyerek çocuklarından eczacılık bölümünü tercih etmesini isteyebiliyorlar.
Sevgiliye kapılmak: Aşk ve sevgi temel duygularımız arasında yer alır, onları yok sayamayız. Aşk dediğimiz duygu, ergenlikte ve takip eden “beliren yetişkinlik döneminde” daha çok önem kazanmakta. İşte bu nedenle, gençler meslek tercihini yaparken o anda yaşadıkları romantik ilişkiyi sürdürebilmek amacıyla aynı üniversiteyi ya da aynı şehri tercih edebiliyor. Yani öğrenci meslek ve üniversite tercihi yerine romantik ilişki tercihi yapabiliyor. Kısacası öğrenci puanı o üniversitenin ancak hiç istemediği bir bölümünü tutabiliyorsa dahi sırf arkadaşı ile aynı üniversitede okumak için o üniversiteyi tercih edebiliyor. Daha sonra aynı üniversiteye başlayınca eğer romantik ilişkileri umdukları gibi devam etmezse yanlış bir üniversite ve meslek tercihi yaptıklarını düşünüp büyük hayal kırıklığı ve pişmanlık yaşayabiliyorlar. Bu süreçte ailelerin bu tehlikenin farkında olması ve çocuklarını yargılamadan dinleyerek bu olası durum hakkında yol gösterici olmaları önemli.
Popülarite etkisinde kalmak: Bazı meslek ya da üniversiteler belli dönemlerde daha popüler olabiliyor. Böyle bir popülarite rüzgarına kapılmak uzun dönemde işsizlik ya da mesleki doyumsuzluğun en temel nedenlerinden biri. Tıpkı bunun gibi bazen de popüler üniversiteler nedeniyle gençler istemedikleri bölümlere yerleşebiliyor. Örneğin hep inşaat mühendisi olmayı hedefleyen bir öğrenci ODTÜ inşaat mühendisliğini kazanamayacağını anlayınca ODTÜ fizik ya da matematik bölümünü tercih edebiliyor. Daha sonra uzun yıllar “Mühendis olacaktım puan yetmedi matematik okudum, iş bulamayınca da matematik öğretmeni oldum” gibi hayal kırıklığı dolu cümleler kurabiliyorlar.
Geleceğin mesleği yanılgısı: Özellikle mühendisliğin bazı özel alanları geleceğin mesleği olarak tanıtılıyor. Sanayide gelişmiş olan ve teknoloji üretiminin yapıldığı ülkelerde ve sektörlerde geleceğin meslekleri geçerli olmaktadır. Teknolojiyi üretmeyen ama kullanan ülkelerde geleceğin mesleği olarak görülen alanlardan mezun olanlar, ürünlerin bakım ve onarımında görev almakta yani bu bölüm mezunları aslında teknisyen olarak istihdam edilmektedir. Bu nedenle, bu mesleklere yönelecek olanlar ilerde daha çok yurtdışında ya da Türkiye’deki uluslararası firmalarda çalışmayı hedeflediklerinin bilincinde olmalılar. Bu noktada, bu firmalarda çalışma için çok ileri düzey yabancı dil bilmeleri gerektiğini unutmamalılar.
Kolayı seçmek: Öğrencilerin bazıları zor olduğunu düşündükleri bölümlerden başarısızlık endişesi ya da çalışma isteksizliği nedeniyle vazgeçiyorlar. Daha kolay olduğunu varsaydıkları bölümleri ya da üniversiteleri tercih edebiliyorlar. Örneğin yabancı dilde eğitim veren ODTÜ’yü bir çok öğrenci tercih etmek istiyor ancak İngilizce öğrenmedeki daha önceki başarısızlık duygusu nedeniyle bu tercihten hiç denemeden vazgeçebiliyorlar. Ya da tıp eğitimi uzun sürüyor diye tıbbı tercih etmekten vazgeçebiliyor.
Aile baskısı: Aileler doktorluk, mühendislik ve avukatlık gibi idealize edilmiş bazı meslekler için çocuklarına yoğun baskıda bulunabiliyor. Ayrıca bazı aileler çocuklarını başka şehre gönderme konusunda zorluk çekiyorlar. Özellikle bizim ülkemizde kız çocuğunu başka şehirde okutma büyük endişe yaratabiliyor.
Toplumsal beklentiler: Bazı çevrelerde geleneksel cinsiyet rolleri öğrencilerin meslek tercihlerine yanlış yön verebiliyor. Örneğin “Kız öğrencilere mühendislik yerine öğretmenlik daha uygun, hem çalışıp hem anne olabilirler” ya da “Erkek, kadından daha çok para kazanmalı, o yüzden kazanç getirecek doktorluk okuman ilerde senin faydana olur” gibi söylemler gençler üzerinde baskı oluşturuyor. Günümüzde her meslek herkes için uygun olabilir. Ayrıca evlilik ve anne-babalık ortak işbirliği ile daha sürdürebilir ve keyif verici olacaktır. Bu nedenlerle, bu tür geleneksel cinsiyet rollerine uygun öneriler işlevselliğini yitiriyor.
Özetle, karar verme tarzınızın farkında olarak sağlıklı karar verme yaklaşımlarını kullanmanız ve belirttiğim hatalara düşmemeniz sizin isabetli bir tercihte bulunma olasılığınızı arttıracaktır.
Doç. Dr. Aslı BUGAY – ODTU Kuzey Kıbrıs Kampusu Rehberlik ve Psikolojik Danışma Bölüm Başkanı
kaynak: www.hurriyet.com.tr

July 25, 2016

Changes Australia must make to solve its tech skills shortage / Jonathan Barouch

By intpartners Do you want to work in Australia, immigrationtoaustralia, MIgration, workinaustralia

I have a confession to make … I just hired an engineer from London for my company. While I have been a vocal proponent for remaining headquartered in Australia and keeping our engineering base local, this is no longer a tenable strategy. There simply isn’t enough tech talent to satisfy the demands of both corporate Australia and the growing technology start-up ecosystem. It’s all well and good that we keep talking about how great the future will be for technology companies in Australia, but that future won’t eventuate if we drop the ball in the here and now.
Jonathan Barouch, founder of Local Measure, says the fact that the immigration department takes up to eight weeks to process a 457 application for a software engineer is a joke.
The policies in the Innovation Statement to address the talent gap and improve gender diversity are sound.
However, by the government’s own admission, many of its policies will take at least a decade to bear any fruit. So what can we do in the meantime to satisfy the demand for talented technical staff in Australian technology companies?

There isn’t enough tech talent to satisfy both corporate Australia and the growing start-up ecosystem.

Draw talent to Australia
We have around 300,000 foreign students in our tertiary institutions, many from China and India who come to Australia to study degrees like software engineering and maths. We need to do a better job at selling Australia to these students as a permanent home. A Sydney University lecturer recently told me that historically Chinese students would come to study in Australia and then use that as a path to migrate. Anecdotally, she’s finding that many of the business and engineering students are now more excited by the prospect of being an entrepreneur back in China than by the idea of remaining in Australia.
If that is the case, we need to shift these students’ perceptions by showcasing the exciting companies and opportunities that exist locally. There has been a lot of debate about the merit of the government’s $28 million taxpayer-funded Innovation Statement marketing. Some of this money might be better spent outside Australia promoting our country as a destination to the world’s top tech talent and companies. We might have had a bigger bang for our buck by simply renting billboards on the 101 between San Francisco and Silicon Valley publicising jobs Down Under.
Make 457 visas simpler
Given all the talk about simplifying our 457 regime to help start-ups access critical talent, it’s surprising that we’ve yet to see any action. The fact that the immigration department takes up to eight weeks to process a 457 application for a software engineer is a joke. Technology companies in every other country are fighting for the same talent and we are missing out on the best and brightest because of government process.
I recently tried to move an engineer to Australia on a 457 visa. The process was time-consuming and expensive and took the full eight weeks to get approved. In stark contrast, we had an Australian employee organising an E3 visa to work in our US office at the same time. The process was able to be done online and his visa was approved on the spot at the US consulate. This seems like a perfect problem for the government’s Digital Transformation Office to tackle.
Send talent overseas
While it may sound counter-intuitive, we need to support some of our smartest to go overseas to gain valuable experience that can then be brought back home. In my company, Local Measure, we have team members who’ve had experience working in large technology companies in Silicon Valley, China and Europe as they scale. The amount of knowledge and proficiency they transfer to their colleagues significantly de-risks our business as we expand overseas.
Let’s create a program where there is an incentive in the first few years of returning to Australia after having worked in a qualifying technology company overseas. This might have the added benefit of attracting back some of Silicon Valley’s so-called “Aussie mafia”.
It is a very encouraging sign for the health of our ecosystem that so many people in the wider community are now talking about start-ups and innovation. In all of the excitement to lay the proper foundations for future growth let’s not forget about the issues facing our companies in the here and now.
source: www.afr.com

June 8, 2016

New student visas could boost property market

By intpartners immigrationtoaustralia, liveinaustralia, studyinaustralia

New rules affecting foreign student visas, which go into effect from 1 July 2016, will be a boon for the property market, especially in Sydney and Melbourne.
The Simplified Student Visa Framework (SSVF) aims to “support the sustainable growth of Australia’s international education sector” by reducing red tape. Key changes under the SSVF include reducing the number of student visa subclasses from eight to two and introducing a simplified single immigration risk framework for all international students.
The head of Australia for Chinese property portal, Juwai.com, Gavin Norris, said the new framework is positive for the Australian housing market.
“Six out of every 10 Chinese property buying inquiries made in Australia last year were related to education,” Norris said.
“Juwai.com sent about AU$1.6 billion of property buying inquiries to Australian vendors last year, and almost $1 billion of that value came from families who wanted to buy homes for their children to live in while studying here.
“Anything Australia does to increase the number of Chinese students will also increase investment in strategic areas of the real estate market that generates more construction jobs, more new housing being built and more economic growth.”
Last year, Chinese students made up 1 out of every four international students in Australia, and international students support about 130,000 jobs, according to research from Juwai. Norris said these statistics demonstrate the invaluable contribution foreign students have on the Australian economy.

“When Australia wins a foreign student, it gains tens of thousands in education fees, additional tens of thousands in retail and services spending, hundreds of thousands in a potential real estate investment and – most important of all – the possibility that highly educated individual will decide to stay and work here and contribute to our economy over the long term,” he said.

“Every student who might have come here, but doesn’t, could represent substantial lost benefits.
“The reverse is also true. Anything that discourages international property investment also risks causing adverse impacts the education industry.”
Norris has also praised other SSVF changes, which include trialling visa applications in Mandarin and trialling 10-year student visas.
“These visa changes are smart, and help Australia catch up to nations like the US, which offer similar visa terms.
“The most important elements are the Mandarin language applications, the 10 year validity pilot and the simplified paperwork.
“For the most part, these changes are about avoiding the loss of our privileged place as a destination of choice for overseas students, rather than beating the competition,” Norris said.

source: www.brokernews.com.au

June 2, 2016

Australia's points-based immigration system explained

By intpartners immigrationtoaustralia

Skilled migrants made up about 68% of the 190,000 places in Australia’s 2014-15 migration programme, which is separate from the humanitarian programme.

The migration programme controls the variety and number of workers moving to the country, and according to the Department of Immigration is “specifically designed to target migrants who have skills or outstanding abilities that will contribute to the Australian economy” and to fill labour shortages.
Over the past 15 years or so, Australia’s non-humanitarian migration policy has evolved from its original “populate or perish” focus to one seeking people who will make a specific contribution to the economy. A background note by the Australian parliamentary library notes a change in policy in the late 1990s resulted in a shift in the balance of permanent migrants from a majority coming through the family stream – that is, reuniting family members – to majority skilled migrants.
To qualify for a range of Australian skilled visas, people must satisfy a points-based assessment. Points are awarded in a number of categories.

Age requirements

Applicants must be under 50. Any applicants aged between 25 and 32 automatically start with half of the required 60 points. Those aged between 45 and 49 start with zero.

Competency in English

All applicants must demonstrate a basic competence in English. But they are only awarded points if their language skills are deemed “proficient” or “superior”.

Qualifications and experience

The remaining points to achieve the minimum 60 are awarded for certain qualifications and employment histories – gained in Australia or overseas – or other factors including tertiary education and whether an applicant’s partner fulfils certain requirements. A doctorate from an institution recognised by Australia is worth 20 points, for example.
Prospective residents can also gain points if they have previously worked in Australia, or if they have studied in certain specified parts of the country, such as metropolitan areas with low population growth.

Occupation

For some visa subclasses, sponsorship by an employer or family member or nomination by a government is required.
If an applicant is not sponsored by an employer, their occupation must be on an approved list. For each occupation, there is is a limit on the number of applications that can be accepted. For the 2015-16 intake, Australia has already approved all 1,000 available visas for auditors, company secretaries and corporate treasurers; the 1,788 industrial, mechanical and production engineers; and 1,000 other engineering professionals.
But if you are a (non-primary) school teacher, a vet or a cartographer, there are still thousands of places left.

Source: theguardian.com

May 19, 2016

Want to migrate to Australia? New Skilled Occupations List (SOL) 2016-17 announced

By intpartners Graduate visa (subclass 485), immigrationtoaustralia, Skilled Independent (subclass 189), Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489)

Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) have released the new Skilled Occupations List (SOL) for 2016-17. This list will come into effect from 1^st July, 2016.

The Skilled Occupations List is used for

189 (Skilled Independent Visa),
489 (Skilled Regional Provisional Visa) and
485 (Graduate Temporary Visa) visa applications.

The DIBP have also released the Consolidated Sponsored Occupations List (CSOL) which is used for 190 (Skilled Nominated Visa), 457 (Temporary Work Skilled Visa) and 186 (Employer Nominated Scheme) visa applications.
Here’s the new SOL 2016-17

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May 4, 2016

International Education Strategy for Australia Aims Million Students by 2025

By intpartners liveinaustralia, Study at High School, Study at TAFE, Study at University, Study English, Study Master, Study MBA, Study PhD Doctorate, studyinaustralia

The Australian Education Roadmap developed by Austrade clearly articulates an ambition to develop, enhance and grow the onshore sector to welcome up to 720,000 students; compound annual growth of 3.8% on the nearly 500,000 Australia welcomes today.
“In a high market-share scenario, these numbers could almost double to nearly 990,000 by 2025,” states the report. “Beyond this, in the relatively untapped borderless skills market of in-market, online and blended delivery – there are projected to be in excess of one billion students around the world.”

“In a high market-share scenario, these numbers could almost double to nearly 990,000 by 2025,”

The three areas of focus for the strategy are: Strengthening the Fundamentals of Australia’s education system (via delivering the best student experience possible, providing robust quality assurance); Making Transformative Partnerships (via alumni building, strengthening partnerships) and Competing Globally (via promoting excellence).

Richard Colbeck, minister for tourism and international education, signed off on a considered and cohesive strategy which represents clear ambition.
In Richard Colbeck, minister for tourism and international education, Foreword, he commented, “It is critical that we embrace the role as a driver of change. We must be conscious of what our competitors are doing, particularly what they are doing better than us.”
Stakeholders welcomed the announcement. Phil Honeywood, CEO of the International Education Association of Australia, said, “Given that international education is now worth $19.6 bn a year to the Australian economy, it now requires the level of attention that the nation’s third largest export sector should attract.”

“Given that international education is now worth $19.6 bn a year to the Australian economy, it now requires the level of attention that the nation’s third largest export sector should attract.”

Honeywood is a member of the Coordinating Council for International Education which consulted with government on its draft strategy. The council commended the first “whole-of-sector” strategy and said effective implementation was now needed.
“The sector provides far more than just an economic boost,” underlined Honeywood. “Research collaboration, two-way student mobility and student services such as accommodation and employment skills are all vital and require greater national coordinated effort. These ‘soft diplomacy’ benefits are often overlooked.”
Minister Colbeck also announced the formation of an ongoing council that will be responsible for implementation.
It was the country’s foreign minster, Julie Bishop, who announced the strategy while in Tasmania and it is the department for foreign affairs and trade which is championing the alumni agenda. To support this concurrent strategy, a website and Linked In group has been launched.
Twelve “inspirational” alumni ambassadors have been selected to work to build Australia’s profile in their home countries, and a video profile series is available, Australian by Degree.
“Over 50 years, 2.5 million international students have been attracted to Australia and its world class educational institutions,” said Bishop.
source: thepienews.com

May 4, 2016

Record migration to Australia for the fifth year running

By intpartners Australia in statistics, Graduate visa (subclass 485), immigrationtoaustralia, Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489), Skilled—Recognised Graduate visa (subclass 476), studyinaustralia

The Australian government has announced that the migration programs for 2017 will remain for the fifth year in a row at its highest level – 190,000 permanent residency places.
Migration numbers according to categories will be

128,550 for skilled migration (including General Skilled Migration, permanent Employer Sponsorship and Business Skills) and
57,400 places for family migration.

The remaining places will include

565 under the Special Eligibility stream and
3,485 for Child category migrants.

This break down of the available permanent residency places remains exactly the same as the 2015-16 program year that is now nearing conclusion.
The official media release from the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection with these 2016-17 Migration Program figures can be found here

November 27, 2015

3 Things to Know About Earning an Undergraduate Degree in Australia / Kelly Mae Ross

By intpartners Study at University, studyinaustralia, workinaustralia

Students are able to work while studying and can earn a bachelor’s degree in three years.
Australia sits at a cultural crossroads, with historical links to the West and economic ties to the East. This may, in part, explain the country’s appeal to international students.
“You’re getting the best of both worlds,” says Vik Naidoo, head of international student recruitment at the University of Sydney.
There were more than 269,700 international higher education students in Australia in 2014, according to the Institute of International Education’s Project Atlas. That means roughly one out of every five students at the country’s universities was international.
While Australian universities have similarities to those in other English-speaking nations, such as the U.K., there are differences too. Here are three facts prospective students should know about the international undergraduate experience in Australia.

HIGH GOVERNMENTAL REGULATIONS on INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION SECTOR

There are laws on the books to protect international students. Australian legislation requires universities to provide international students with orientation programs, access to support services and contact information for university officials who can assist them, among other things.
“We don’t just recruit them and say, ‘Now off you go, you’re by yourself,'” says Naidoo. “We, by legislative arrangement, we have a duty of care to those students.”
Nina Khairina, a third-year international student at Monash University in Victoria who hails from Indonesia, said by email that she has faced challenges such as loneliness and having to adjust to a new style of teaching.
Khairina, who is national president of the Council of International Students Australia, an advocacy organization for foreign students, said the most helpful source of support has been the Monash University International Students Service, run by student volunteers “who work passionately to improve the experience of other international students.” She added that a student rights officer and counselors are available on campus as well.
Universities are also legally required to post on their websites lists of education agents appointed to represent the institutions abroad. Applicants who do not use agents can submit their materials directly to Australian universities online; there isn’t a common application system for international students.

SOME DEGREE PROGRAMS CAN BE COMPLETED IN THREE YEARS

Students can earn a degree in three years, but might want to study longer. Most bachelor’s programs in Australia are three years long. However, high-achieving students at Aussie universities can go on to earn a bachelor honors degree – a more advanced credential – by studying for an additional year.
Honors programs are selective. At the University of Sydney, for example, less than 5 percent of all undergraduates are enrolled in the honors program, according to Naidoo. The higher-level program “is teaching you a lot of research skills,” says Naidoo, “which you don’t necessarily get in the traditional undergraduate degree.”
Earning an honors degree is the typical pathway to a doctoral degree program, according to the Australian government’s Department of Education and Training.
Keit Loi, a native of Malaysia who recently earned an honors Bachelor of Biomedicine at the University of Melbourne, says the “intense” honors year is a good trial run for students who think they might want to conduct research at a higher academic level.
“If you still survive it and you still enjoy research after that,” he says, “you know you’re capable of doing a Ph.D.” Loi has applied to a Ph.D. program at the University of Melbourne.
Some universities also offer four-year – or longer – programs with a built-in research component as another path to a bachelor honors degree.

WORK WHILE STUDYING

International students may work while studying. Undergraduate tuition at Australian institutions can vary from $10,800 to $23,800 or more per year, according to the Australian government. Students can work part time to help pay for school.
Most student visa holders can work up to 40 hours every two weeks while taking classes, according to the government’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection. International students can apply for jobs on and off campus, and during academic breaks there isn’t a limit on the number of hours they can work.
But finding employment can be challenging in some locations according to U.S. national Carolyn Reimann, a third-year undergraduate medical student at James Cook University in Queensland. She added that it might be easier for students to find jobs in cities like Sydney and Melbourne that are popular tourist destinations.
If international students want to work in Australia after graduation, they can apply for a temporary graduate visa. This credential allows non-citizens to work in the country for a period of 18 months to up to four years, depending on their set of skills and degree level.
But studying in Australia isn’t just about hard work and classes, some students say.
“There is a strong emphasis on having a study-work-life balance here,” Khairina said by email. “I was not used to that at the beginning and focused too much on getting perfect grades; it’s not like that anymore and I enjoy it.”
source: www.usnews.com

November 23, 2015

Australian International education income hits record high

By intpartners studyinaustralia

Exports from Australia’s international education services sector – two-thirds of it comprising income from international higher education students – reached a record high of $18.8 billion in 2014-15, the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data has shown.
According to the Minister for Tourism and International Education, Senator Richard Colbeck, the figures eclipsed the previous peaks of $17.6 billion in calendar year 2014 and $16.3 billion in financial year 2013-14.
He said: “Education services exports for 2014-15 increased by 15% on the 2013-14 figure, which shows our booming international education sector continues to go from strength to strength.”
The figures confirmed that international education remains Australia’s largest services export and its third-largest export overall after iron ore and coal, he said.
“International education is also a major generator of jobs, with the sector supporting over 130,000 jobs in cities and regions throughout Australia,” he said. “The government is determined to ensure the international education sector continues to be one of the major strengths of the Australian economy.”

The vast majority of the income, $18.2 billion, was contributed by the nearly half a million students who chose to study in Australia over this period. International students in the higher education sector generated $12.5 billion in export income, while students in the vocational education and training sector produced $2.9 billion.

May 26, 2015

Australia Changes Significant Investor Visa

By intpartners immigrationtoaustralia, liveinaustralia, Premium Investor Visa (PIV), Significant Investor Visa (SIV) (Subclass 188 888)

New applications for the Significant Investor Visa (SIV) have been suspended since 24 April 2015, for the purpose of preparing new framework for the SIV in anticipation of its reintroduction on 1 July 2015.
Last Friday (15 May 2015), Andrew Robb, Minister for Trade and Investment, and Michaela Cash, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, made a joint announcement of the Australian Government’s much anticipated new investment framework for the Significant Investor Visa (SIV). The announcement also provided some further information regarding the introduction of the new Premium Investor Visa (PIV).
The new arrangements are part of the Australian Government’s Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda to facilitate the flow of capital into innovative start-ups and emerging Australian companies.
The agenda is to be achieved by stopping SIV applicants from investing the required $5 million into passive investments, such as government bonds.
The new framework for the SIV will require at least a $5 million investment, which must comprise:

At least $500,000 into eligible Australian venture capital or growth private equity fund(s) (VCPE) investing in start-ups and small private companies;
At least $1.5 million into eligible managed fund(s) or Listed Investment Companies (LICs) that predominately invest in emerging companies (i.e. market capitalisation below $500 million) listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) listed;
A ‘balancing investment’ (the amount will depend on how much was invested in the above mandatory elements) in managed funds or LICs investing in a combination of other eligible investments, including other ASX-listed companies (i.e. companies with market capitalisations above $500 million), corporate bonds or notes, annuities and (with limitations) residential real estate.

The new framework also prohibits ‘loan back’ arrangements. Accordingly, new visa applicants will no longer be allowed to use their investments as collateral for borrowings.

What are the Significant and Premium Investor visas?
The Significant Investor visa is a stream within the Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) (Subclass 188) visa and the Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) (Subclass 888) visa.
The purpose of the visa is to provide a boost to the Australian economy and to compete effectively for high net worth individuals seeking investment migration. Significant Investor Visa (SIV) holders are required to invest AUD5million into complying investments for a minimum of four years before being eligible to apply for a permanent visa.
The government intends that the Premium Investor visa (PIV) will be created as a new stream within the Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) (Subclass 188) visa and the Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) (Subclass 888) visa on 1 July 2015.
The purpose of the Premium Investor visa is to attract high net worth individuals to contribute their entrepreneurial skill or talent to Australia. The Premium Investor visa will be require applicants to invest AUD15million into complying investments for a minimum of twelve months before being eligible to apply for a permanent visa.

The announcement confirmed that the PIV will provide a fast-tracked, 12-month pathway to Australian permanent residency for talented entrepreneurs and innovators who can invest at least $15 million into eligible investments. The PIV will also allow a wider range of eligible investments than the SIV, including direct investments in a range of companies and financial products.
The new framework for the SIV and the PIV will come into effect on 1 July 2015.

Authors: Paul Hardman, Phoebe Yin, Christopher Rowe
Source: holdingredlich.com

Note: [1] The Australian Government intends to increase this amount to $1 million within the next two years, subject to the initial response to the scheme.

May 14, 2015

Australia Committed to Streamline Visa System

By intpartners immigrationtoaustralia, liveinaustralia

According to Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton, Australia is set to further streamline and the visa system simplified under measures contained in the Budget.
Reduced red tape and several initiatives will benefit Australian consumers, international travellers, the travel industry, exporters, importers and visa applicants.
The Seamless Traveller initiative will see the roll out of new technology, including SmartGates, at air and sea ports, the Trusted Trader Programme (TTP) will expedite cargo clearances and the Budget will enable significant changes to Australia’s skilled and temporary migration legislation.
Seamless Traveller will see $93.7 million spent over the next five years for rollout of next generation automated biometric processing at major air and sea ports.
Biometric capability will reduce manual processes allowing a fast, seamless self-processing experience for up to 90 per cent of travellers and enable border control officers to concentrate on passengers-of-interest.
“Through the use of cutting-edge technology, such as SmartGates, we are providing benefits to travellers and industry while meeting national security challenges head on,” Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton said.
A total of $5.6 million has been allocated to start a pilot phase of a Trusted Trader Programme.
The pilot will start with four industry partners focusing on seaborne container exports and rapidly expand over the year to imports and air cargo involving around 40 Australian exporters and importers and their supply chains.
Faster clearance of low risk cargo for traders with a history of high trade compliance and commitment to supply chain security will again enable border officers to focus on high risk consignments.
“Increased efficiency in cargo movement will make Australia more competitive in the global marketplace and benefit the economy, Mr Dutton said.
Changes to Australia’s skilled and temporary migration legislation will see 25 visa subclasses consolidated into a simplified framework providing an easier process for visa applicants.
Mr Dutton said these changes were smart policy that would improve system integrity and border security and deliver a more efficient service.
“The measures in the 2015 Budget are yet another example of the Government’s commitment to cutting red tape and streamlining services,” Mr Dutton said.

May 14, 2015

Application invited for Postgraduate scholarships to study in Australia

By intpartners Study Master, Study MBA, Study PhD Doctorate, studyinaustralia

The Australian Government’s Department of Education and Training is inviting applications for the Endeavour Postgraduate Awards. The awards provide full financial support to international students to pursue

a postgraduate qualification at a master’s (up to two years) or
PhD level (up to four years) either by coursework or research in any field of study in Australia.

The scholarships include travel allowance AUD 3,000, establishment allowance of AUD 4,000 , monthly spending (AUD 3,000) up to maximum programme duration on a pro-rata basis. Health and travel insurance will also be provided.
Endeavour Scholarship recipients will also receive tuition fees (includes student service and amenities fees) paid up to the maximum study/research duration on a pro-rata basis. To be eligible, applicants must commence their proposed programme after January 1, 2016, and not later than November 30, 2016.
Applicants need to provide either

letter of admission for a PhD course at an Australian university for the 2016 academic year or
letter of admission/ for a master’s or graduate diploma leading to a master’s course at an Australian university for the 2016 academic year.

Since 2007, a total of 3,818 Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships have been awarded to internationals and 1,036 have been received by Australians to undertake research, study or professional development across 125 eligible countries.
What Endeavour offers
As a scholarship or fellowship recipient, you will gain invaluable international experience in study, research or professional development.
The department has engaged a contractor to provide post-selection support services to all recipients including: a dedicated case manager, pre-departure briefings, advice on health, travel insurance, accommodation, security; payment of allowances, and reporting to the department on the recipient’s progress.
Learn more about what Endeavour can offer through:

For more details, visit here . Deadline for submitting applications is June 30 2015.

May 5, 2015

Australian Government Explores Price-Based Immigration System / Matthew Knott, Deborah Snow

By intpartners immigrationtoaustralia, liveinaustralia

The Productivity Commission has floated the idea of selling the right to immigrate, but politicians aren’t sure it’s such a good idea.
The Australian government would sell the right to immigrate to Australia – with migrants no longer accepted based on their skills or family connections – under radical proposals being examined by the government’s independent think tank.
The Productivity Commission is investigating a price-based immigration system that would use entry fees as the primary determinant for who gains entry to Australia.
The scheme could help the government rein in the budget deficit by bringing in tens of billions of dollars in extra revenue.
The scheme could help the government rein in the budget deficit by bringing in tens of billions of dollars in extra revenue.
Such a scheme could help the government rein in the budget deficit by bringing in tens of billions of dollars in extra revenue and allow it to trim the number of public servants administering Australia’s immigration system.
But the proposals have alarmed business groups and unions, who say tackling skills shortages should remain the focus of Australia’s immigration policy. Ethnic community groups say they would oppose any moves that would prevent poorer immigrants from re-uniting with their families.
The Productivity Commission issues paper on Australia’s migrant intake, released on Friday, raises some dramatic proposals including introducing an immigration lottery and creating a HECS-style payment system for immigrants to pay back their entry fee.
The Australian migration program issues permanent residency visas to three streams of migrants: those with particular skills; those with families in Australia; and others who meet special eligibility criteria.
The government established the inquiry, which will issue its final report next March, in a deal to secure Liberal Democrat Senator David Leyonhjelm’s support for the reintroduction of temporary protection visas for asylum seekers.
In its issues paper, the Productivity Commission canvasses two options to introduce an “immigration fee”: setting a price, with the size of the intake dictated by demand; or setting a cap on the intake and allowing demand to dictate the price of entry.
The commission notes there are also middle ground options such as allowing a capped number of places to be allocated via a tender process. The United States – whose immigration program is less skills-focussed than Australia’s – uses a “diversity lottery” to allocate up to 50,000 places a year to applicants from countries with low rates of immigration to the US.
The inability of many hopeful immigrants to pay upfront could be addressed by allowing them to borrow against future expected earnings or by introducing a loans program.
The commission notes that introducing a price-based system could lead to some loss of government control over Australia’s immigrant intake and could change the composition of those who apply to migrate to Australia.
Senator Leyonhjelm said that a fee-based immigration system had been backed by Nobel Prize-winning economist Gary Becker. Senator Leyonhjelm nominated $50,000 as a possible amount for entry to Australia.
“This would make a substantial financial contribution to the Australian budget and I hope that would lead to lower taxes,” he said.
Businesses needing skilled migrants could pay the fee or governments could waive the fee for particular professions or trades, he said.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said that the proposals were not government policy when releasing the inquiry’s terms of reference earlier this year.
“The government is keen to see the Productivity Commission analyse these issues thoroughly, however there are no plans to make significant changes to the migration program,” he said.
Australia uses a mix of qualitative factors (such as skills) and charges in its immigration process, he said.
Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox, said that “skilled migrants should remain the primary source of new entrants”.
Australian Council of Trade Unions President Ged Kearney said: “We are concerned the Productivity Commission’s inquiry is focused on allowing only those rich enough to migrate regardless of fulfilling the current requirements, including filling skills shortages.”
The Productivity Commission will release a draft report in November and hold public hearings before it hands its final report to government next March.

Source: www.smh.com.au

May 3, 2015

Australian International Education Export Boom / Phil Honeywood

By intpartners Australia in statistics, Study at High School, Study at TAFE, Study at University, Study English, Study Master, Study MBA, Study PhD Doctorate, studyinaustralia

Australian International Students — International Students’ numbers are increasing for Australia

Yet another review has landed on desks around Canberra. A newly released 160-page Productivity Commission paper on International Education Services has underlined what many of us who work in this dynamic sector already know.
Not only is international education kicking goals for our beleaguered economy but it continues to enhance Australia’s global credentials. Notwithstanding this, the report also warns this $17 billion a year industry that more regulatory reform might be required if Australia is to remain the study destination of choice.
Up front, the Productivity Commission’s report is very much a good news story. It finds that our nation’s third-largest export creates 130,000 equivalent full-time jobs. These jobs are not just in teaching but cut across the entire economy, including the provision of accommodation, food, entertainment and even tourism.
There are more than 450,000 full-tuition, fee-paying international students in Australia now, accounting for 20 per cent of all students enrolled in our higher education institutions and 5 per cent in vocational education and training (VET). Importantly for our future relations in our region, about three-quarters of all international students come from Asia, with China and India the biggest markets.
Of equal importance, the report noted that we have another 160,000 enrolments in Australian courses delivered offshore, with an increasing number of these in the advanced skills (VET) sector. Overall, our international education industry has recovered from recent years of declining enrolments and the commission concludes that it “is back on a high-growth trajectory”.
So where is the flip side to all this good news? The Productivity Commission points to four key areas of concern. These relate to governance, student visa integrity, comparative quality course ratings and the complex issue of education agent quality assurance.
International education has come a long way, in a short space of time, since each state and territory government had separate regulatory authorities. Until the federal government intervened, each state had jurisdictional oversight of student and education provider policy and procedures. These were replaced in 2011 by the Tertiary Education and Quality Standards Agency (TEQSA) for higher education and the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) for vocational education. Despite initial teething problems, these two national regulators have made significant improvements in the good governance of a complex industry.
SURPRISING
It is therefore surprising that the Productivity Commission raises the possibility that these two regulators be merged into one entity. Some education institutions, which deliver both higher education and VET courses, would welcome any ensuing reduction in their regulatory reporting burden. However, because each of these national regulators primarily service very different types of education providers and courses, there is little momentum among international education stakeholders for such a merger to be effected.
Control of who is deemed to be a genuine temporary student and student visas has long been vested in our Immigration Department. In recent years this has been justified because of border control concerns.
Yet the Productivity Commission boldly suggests that other factors and government departments should have a stake in the outcomes here. Whereas the Immigration Department’s almost entire focus is on the immigration risk of an education provider, the commission questions the merits of this. Instead, they would like to see factors such as the quality of the education provider’s course delivery, their financial or consumer risk and even student graduation outcomes factored into the visa-issuing process.
Industry groups, such as the International Education Association of Australia, have long argued for just such a comprehensive student visa issuance model. Currently, it is all too easy for certain education providers to tailor their immigration risk rating just long enough to qualify for special visa status. They might be delivering the worst business course in Australia, but that is not being factored into the equation.
The third related area of concern identified in the report is the lack of transparency on the ratings of course quality. This is supported by a recent global survey of 45,000 international students by Hobsons Education Solutions. It highlighted that course rankings now come ahead of education institutions’ overall quality and the choice of country as the key driver of enrolments.
Happily, something is being done about this in Australia. The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) online platform will be released soon by Education Minister Christopher Pyne. QILT will incorporate student experience, graduate outcomes and employer satisfaction surveys into one easily accessible portal.
There has been a great deal of media interest recently in the complex relationships between education agents and education institutions. Unfortunately, none of this public commentary has mentioned that the federal Education Department is awaiting a report that it has commissioned on this very issue. The report is due by the end of June and more than 1000 key stakeholders have been surveyed already and separate education provider and agent focus groups have been held around the country.
The Productivity Commission report has provided yet one more set of recommendations to a sector that is already suffering from review fatigue. A long-awaited whole-of-government approach is in the mix now.
The government is to finalise soon its National Strategy for International Education. It is not before time that Australia’s third-largest export gets this attention.

Phil Honeywood is the executive director of the International Education Association of Australia.
Source: www.afr.com

April 22, 2015

New training initiatives for hospitality and tourism sectors

By intpartners Carer visa (subclass 116), immigrationtoaustralia, liveinaustralia, Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489), Study at TAFE, studyinaustralia, workinaustralia

Restaurant & Catering Australia has welcomed new training and product development arrangements for the vocational education sector announced by the Australian government this morning.
R&CA CEO, John Hart says that the announcement serves as a welcome step in addressing the needs of the tourism and hospitality sectors.
“The [hospitality] sector is currently experiencing a shortfall of 35,800 jobs, with this number expected to increase to 56,000 by the end of 2015. Additionally, employment in the cafe, restaurant and takeaway food services sector is projected to grow more than 43,700 jobs or 8.5 percent to November 2018,” says Hart.
Hart says that this rate of employment growth is expected to be higher than any other industry in the Australian economy and it is estimated that Australia will require an additional 2.5 million people with Vocational Education Training (VET) qualifications; 1.7 million of which will need to be qualified at Certificate III level or above.
“The new model supporting industry reference committees will more closely align the skill needs of industry with the training that is delivered through the vocational education sector,” says Hart
“Changes to this structure and authorising environment through the Australian Industry Skills Committee will help to provide the necessary skilled staff required to deliver quality customer experiences well into the future.”
Hart says today’s announcement is recognition that skilled staff in the tourism and hospitality industry is necessary for the economic growth of the country.
“Waiters, cooks, chefs and café and restaurant managers are the most in-demand occupations in the sector and will continue to be well beyond 2015.
“’Australia’s system of competency standards and qualifications-based learning is world renowned; this change to the development process will strengthen that reputation even further.

Source: Hospitability Magazine

April 21, 2015

International students love Australia, survey finds

By intpartners Australia in statistics, Study at High School, Study at TAFE, Study at University, Study English, Study Master, Study MBA, Study PhD Doctorate, studyinaustralia

Eighty eight per cent of international students are satisfied or very satisfied with their overall experience, outperforming similar competitor nations.

A new report on international students’ experiences has found widespread satisfaction across all survey areas — learning, support on arrival, living and support services — at a rate higher than similar competitor nations.
The lone exception is living and accommodation costs which registered only a 50 per cent satisfaction rating.

The biannual International Student Survey was released by federal education minister Christopher Pyne on the back of a NSW report which suggested widespread cheating, low academic standards and even corruption. A report on the ABC tonight is widely expected to come to similar conclusions.

“The report confirms that the reputation of Australian institutions and the quality of teaching are by far the most important factors for international students choosing Australia over other countries,” Mr Pyne said in a statement.
Chris Ziguras, a higher education researcher from RMIT, said the survey threw a positive light on a sector currently under siege by media.
“This report is reassuring to the government and to the sector as a whole that students are coming here for all the right reasons and generally satisfied. Australia is on par with and outperforming other destinations,” Dr Ziguras said.
While the broad brushstroke nature of the overview support lacked nuance, the over all picture was undeniably positive, Dr Ziguras said.
“You’re asking people to tick boxes and you are not getting deep insights. If it was a one-off survey then you’d say it was pretty bland but the fact it’s been done three times in succession shows (the aggregate results) are reassuring.”
Dr Ziguras said he was “dismayed” by last week’s Independent Commission Against Corruption report.
“I’m not sure who they spoke to but they apparently didn’t speak to students,” he said.
“It’s dismaying not because of what it says about the sector but because of the way the sector is perceived. That’s very depressing,” he said.
Dr Ziguras also said he was concerned about the potential for corruption based on the fact international students generate revenue.
“All students generate revenue. The same potential exists for such things with the admittance of domestic students in undergraduate programs with universities dipping lower and lower into ATARs because evert new student brings revenue. There’s the same potential there.”
Fiona Docherty, pro vice-chancellor (international) at UNSW said feedback from international students at her institution didn’t line up with the view promulgated in the ICAC report, especially in relation to the use of agents.
“I’m interested in feedback after students get here and can reflect objectively on their choices to come to that university. Our experience shows that 90 per cent of students are satisfied with their agents,” Ms Docherty said.
Scott Sheppard, deputy vice-chancellor (international) at Queensland University of Technology, also said he struggled to correlate the ICAC report’s findings with the experience of international students at his institution.
“Maybe it’s because we have a relatively low percentage of international student enrolments, but the findings didn’t alight with our experience,” Professor Sheppard said.

Source: The Australian

January 30, 2015

How international students could help boost Australia’s trade

By intpartners liveinaustralia, studyinaustralia, workinaustralia

With the announcement of the recently concluded China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (CHAFTA) between Australia and China, followed by the Labor Party’s Asian Century White Paper and the Liberal Party’s New Colombo Plan, few could fault Canberra for not taking trade with China seriously.
Australia has set the structural framework to open and accelerate trade links, and established a platform to produce a new wave of China-literate and bilingual talent into the local workforce.
But inevitably the future face of business in China will not just be the Australian participants of prestigious student exchange programs.

Chinese international students studying in Australia could ultimately play a decisive role in fulfilling Australia’s regional trade ambitions under the new FTA agreement. But haigui, orreturning sea turtles as they are known in Mandarin, who have studied in Australia are too often overlooked as a short-term commodity rather than as an investment for the future.
Each year Australia effortlessly supplies an enormous cohort of potential trade envoys to the region, including China, and with no cost to the Australian taxpayer.
Now that trade liberalisation will open new markets in China for Australian goods and services, it is international students returning to China who are best placed to connect Australia with the market for live cattle, milk, and other products over the coming years.
Connecting Australian farmers and other companies to the local market in China is no easy feat. China is ranked 128 in the world by the World Bank Group for starting a business and the Chinese Government has tightened regulations for foreign companies operating in China in recent years.
A white face and broken Mandarin are a meek force to navigate the labyrinth of bureaucratic paperwork and regulatory requirements, not to mention negotiating, and coordinating logistics under a diversely different — and at times archaic — model of doing business.
Australian entrepreneurs and companies need local partners in China who they can trust. Returning international students who are bilingual and familiar with the Australian way of life will help to tick that box.
Returning Chinese students also typically possess extensive family business connections, access to capital, and they are already beginning to absorb important posts previously occupied by well-paid expatriate workers.
But little investment is made into integrating international students into Australia’s regional trade strategy and to stay connected. In fact, scores of international students return to China every year sombre about the lack of professional opportunities and experience Australia provided them.
Australian employment policies and norms discriminate against international students from gaining vital internship experience. Australian universities also provide little support for connecting international students with employment opportunities in Asia.
Unless returning international students work for an Australian company in their home country, they quickly lose connection with Australia.
Australian companies with operations in China should be opening their doors to international students for short-term internships in Australia before transferring talent to their offices in Asia. International organisations with a branch in Australia, including KPMG, could introduce a similar program for talent identification and training.
Government funding could be also be allocated for international students to participate in entrepreneurial incubator projects. These projects provide training, mentoring and foster new trade channels between Australia and the region.
Further investment is then necessary to ensure that international students in Australia are better integrated into Australian society. An isolated experience studying abroad in Melbourne or Sydney does not augur well for promoting bilateral understanding or developing future trade and people-to-people connections.
Organisations such as the Australia China Youth Association play an important role in fostering social and cultural integration in universities and there is far more potential to link Chinese students with young Australians learning Mandarin.
Abroad, we must encourage returning international students to stay engaged with networks including the Australia Chamber of Commerce, the Australia China Young Professionals Initiative, alumni associations and Embassy events.
Trade is unequivocally a two way street, and if Australia is to truly realise its economic potential under the new free trade agreement, we can’t afford to lose these connections and squander the sizeable pool of talent returning to China.
Source: Business Spectator

January 30, 2015

28% Australians is Born Overseas

By intpartners Australia in statistics, liveinaustralia

Australia’s multicultural landscape is as diverse as ever following the release of 2011 Census of Population and Housing data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).New Census data has revealed that almost a quarter (24.6 per cent) of Australia’s population was born overseas and 43.1 per cent of people have at least one overseas-born parent.
The United Kingdom is the leading country of birth for the overseas-born population (20.8 per cent). It is followed by New Zealand (9.1 per cent), China (6.0 per cent) and India (5.6 per cent).
The number of people born in India has experienced the largest growth with an increase of 148,261 people since the 2006 Census, followed by China (112,379) and New Zealand (93,934).
The largest decreases were seen in the birth countries of Italy (13,729 people) and Greece (10,050).

2011 Census Executive Director, Andrew Henderson, said these results highlight the cultural diversity of Australia’s population.
“Multicultural communities across the country worked very hard with the ABS during the Census to ensure we captured a full and accurate picture of Australia’s diversity,” Mr Henderson said.
“Multiculturalism plays a big part in who we are as a nation and we thank all community groups for their participation in the Census, and helping to create a brighter future for all Australians.”
Mr Henderson encouraged everyone to go online and look at the snapshot of Australia captured by the Census.
“Census data is available freely online and can be used for a variety of purposes across a wide range of sectors, and even by individuals,” Mr Henderson said.
“All Australians can go online and see what Census data says about their community, and the place they call home.”
Data from the 2011 Census of Population and Housing is now available from the ABS website. Visit www.abs.gov.au/census.

Source: ABS

MORE Australians are born overseas than ever before with 6.6 million residents currently living here arriving from other nations, the highest proportion of the population in 120 years.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data released today shows Australians born outside the country now represent 28 per cent of the population.
“Australia traditionally had a high proportion of migrants, but we’ve now hit a peak not seen since the gold rushes of the late 1800s,” ABS spokeswoman Denise Carlton said.
“Overseas migration has been a large contributor to the total Australian population growth for several years — it has consistently been the main driver since 2005-06, contributing more than 50 per cent of population growth in Australia.
“While the largest migrant groups were people born in the United Kingdom and New Zealand — with a total of over 1.8 million Australian residents being born in those two countries, the next two most common birth places were from the Asian region.
“These were China and India, with around 450,000 and 400,000 people respectively.”
The figures for both countries doubled and tripled over the past decade.
Domestically, people moving to QLD, Victoria and WA continued to outweigh those leaving while there were net losses in residents in every other state and territory.

Source: The Australian

January 8, 2015

Sydney Festival 2015 opens

By intpartners liveinaustralia, Study at High School, Study at TAFE, Study at University, Study English, Study Master, Study MBA, Study PhD Doctorate, studyinaustralia

Sydney Festival start. For Daily Deals look at the http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2015/dailydeals

The mirrors in the Spiegeltent have been polished. The contortionists set to bend across its stage are limber. International guests from Belgium, Shanghai and beyond are streaming through Customs. The street art-covered labyrinth has been erected. The 2015 Sydney Festival is ready to go.

Sydney’s 39th annual festival of art and culture (and plenty of big things children can play on) kicks off Thursday morning when the Festival Village – now with two Spiegeltents – opens its doors. During the day, festivalgoers at the Hyde Park hamlet will be able to walk all over a two-storey maze designed and constructed by Irish street artist Maser and relax in the City of Sydney’s lawn library. At night they can catch sword-swallowers at Limbo and hit the bars and food stalls for a Grand Royale with Cheese (not a burger but an ice-cream).

The Village is not the only Sydney Festival venue springing to life for opening day (want to swing through a waterfall? You can do that at Darling Harbour from 9am), but it is the festival’s centre, expected to draw 10,000 visitors per day. And the festival is ready for them.

The festival will be Sydney’s first major public event since the city’s New Year’s Eve celebrations. Crowds for the fireworks were estimated to have been smaller than in 2013, leading some to ask whether Sydneysiders had been shaken by the Martin Place siege and heightened terror alert level. But police point out that high-profile viewing areas that night, such as the Sydney Opera House, were at capacity from early afternoon.

Festival organisers said punters appear undeterred: they expected to exceed the 124,000 tickets sold in 2014. Executive director Chris Tooher said that sales at the beginning of the week were at 64 per cent of the final target, ahead of the same time last year. It will be weeks before numbers on the free, unticketed events are known.
Many of the festival venues have private security and Tooher said organisers were working closely with police and other authorities to ensure safety at the Domain and Hyde Park.

January 8, 2015

Skilled workers could enter Australia easier for work

By intpartners Business visa (subclass 188), Graduate visa (subclass 485), immigrationtoaustralia, liveinaustralia, Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489), Skilled—Recognised Graduate visa (subclass 476), Temporary Work (Long Stay) visa (subclass 401), Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457), Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462), workinaustralia, Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417)

Visa applicants are concentrated in mining, manufacturing, construction and education.

Companies would be allowed to bring employees to Australia for up to a year without applying for 457 skilled worker visas under a migration-rule revamp being considered by the government.

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection is proposing a new temporary entry visa for foreign workers that would not require the candidates to pass language or skills requirements. Nor would employers have to prove they cannot find an Australian to fill the position.
The proposed “short-term mobility” subclass of visas would be available for “specialised work which may include intra-company transfers and foreign correspondents”, says a proposal paper obtained byThe Australian Financial Review.
Fly-in, fly-out commuters, global partners or specialists who need to provide short periods of work or consultation to a company would be covered. The visa would allow for multiple entries.
The paper is part of a review announced in October and billed by the Abbott government as the biggest re-examination of skilled migration in 25 years. The government wants to cut red tape and give companies more flexibility to grow and compete for talent. But the changes would upset unions, which are mostly hostile to foreign labour.
Skilled migration researcher Bob Birrell said the government would be picking a big fight with white-collar unions and professional groups by allowing global companies greater scope to bring people in for short-term appointments.
“There are already significant problems with graduate employment in professions such as dentistry, computer science, medicine and engineering,” he said.
“Liberalisation such that being mooted is going to crash head-on with that situation. The government is going to have some angry professional associations on its hands.”
A short-term mobility category would replace the existing category 400 visa, which allows skilled or specialist entrants to work for up to six weeks.
There were 4587 visas of this type granted when it was first offered in 2012-13. That jumped to 32,984 in 2013-14. Applicants are concentrated in mining, manufacturing, construction and education.
Employer groups have been pushing for a less onerous visa than the 457 to allow them to bring in specialists for shorter-term projects. They say the six weeks offered under the 400 visa is too short and the department often redirects applicants to 457 visas.
Australian Council of Trade Unions president Ged Kearney said with unemployment at a 12-year-high of 6.3 per cent, the focus should be on employing and training locals.
“The review of Australia’s skilled migration system must strengthen requirements for employers to advertise jobs locally before recruiting workers from overseas, not make it easier for companies to bypass Australian workers, university graduates and apprentices,” she said.
Mark Glazbrook, the managing director of Adelaide-based Migration Solutions, said the extended mobility visa would be eagerly welcomed. “The current policy settings and regulations are quite strict and don’t allow a lot of flexibility where there’s very specialised or unique work to be done,” he said.
“If you consider a big international- based company with Australian operations, if they have a specialised piece of equipment that’s in Australia and no one knows how to install it, they want to be able to bring someone, possibly on multiple occasions, on a genuinely temporary basis.”
The existing employer-sponsored 457 visa would be absorbed into a new “temporary-skilled” category, according to the proposal paper. It would continue to require candidates to meet English language, skills and labour market tests.
There would also be “permanent-independent” and “permanent-skilled” subclasses.
The “permanent-independent” subclass would be for “highly skilled individuals to independently apply for permanent residence to work in Australia”. It would replace existing distinguished talent visas.
Applicants in the permanent-skilled category would have to prove they are filling a genuine vacancy in the local labour market. This category would subsume the existing 186 and 187 visas.
“Competition for migrants amongst growth countries such as China and India, as well as our traditional competitors, will require that our skilled programs are no longer designed to passively receive migrants, but are designed to aggressively target ‘talented’ migrants in a highly competitive environment,” the paper says.
Australian Mines and Metals Association director Scott Barklamb said Australia would benefit from “mobile, highly skilled professionals who temporarily live and work where their specialised skills are most in need”. “Australians working in the resource sector often have opportunities to work and live temporarily all over the world and the Australian industry must similarly benefit from global engagement.”
In a submission to the government, Master Builders Australia said: “Some projects are shorter duration – for example three months – and going through the time-consuming and costly process of applying and securing 457 visa holders is not flexible enough.”
The “genuine-temporary-entrant” test that has been applied to student visas would be used for the short-term mobility subclass to prevent rorting.
The short-term mobility subclass would include a visa valid for three months or a year. Candidates for the shorter visa could be bought in at the invitation of an Australian company.
For the visa to be valid for up to 12 months, candidates would require a “statement of guarantee or undertaking from the Australian organisation detailing salary and any employment conditions reflective of the Australian standard for the duration of the stay must be provided”.
There is also a review of the integrity of the 457 visa system, the significant investor visa program and an inquiry into the Business Innovation and Investment Program.
The government said it would be premature to comment during the consultation period. A spokesman said the proposal paper was drafted by the department, not the government.
Dr Birrell said: “The main proposal is to free up temporary migration by creating a new set of visa subclasses for people coming in for less than a year,” he said.
“The implication is that this would not include the rules and regulations currently governing the 457 visa, including some labour market testing.”

SOURCE: The Australian Financial Review
By Joanna Mather

December 28, 2014

Changing courses and education providers

By intpartners Study at High School, Study at TAFE, Study at University, Study English, Study Master, Study MBA, Study PhD Doctorate, studyinaustralia

Department of Immigration published information about how to change your course while you are studying in Australia. You can get further information from IEAA on visa requirements or new course acceptability on [email protected] or you can call 02-92327055.
If you are thinking about changing your course of study, you need to ensure that you continue to meet all the conditions that apply to your student visa.

Changing courses – streamlined visa holders

If you were granted a visa under the streamlined visa processing arrangements and you would like to change to a new course of study, you generally need to enrol in another streamlined eligible course (or package of courses) at the same level as your current course in order to remain compliant with the conditions on your current student visa.
To check whether a course is eligible for streamlined visa processing, or to learn more about the streamlining arrangements for certain student visas, see streamlined student visa processing.
If you want to change the level of qualification you are studying towards, you need to apply for a new student visa because your visa subclass will not be appropriate for your new course (or package of courses). For example, if you want to change from a Bachelor degree to an Advanced Diploma.
If you transfer to a course of study that is not eligible for streamlined visa processing processing or if you change the level of qualification you are studying towards and you have not been granted a new visa appropriate to your new course then your visa might be considered for cancellation.
It is our policy that students who have transferred to a course not eligible for streamlined visa processing at the same level as their current course would not be considered for cancellation if either:

the country of their passport is Assessment Level 1 for their current visa or
they have held their current visa for at least 12 months.

Changing courses – non streamlined visa holders

If you want to change to a new course to study towards the same level of qualification and your visa was not granted under streamlined arrangements, you do not need to apply for a new student visa unless your current visa is about to expire.
If you want to change the level of qualification you are studying towards, you need to apply for a new student visa because your visa subclass will not be appropriate for your new course (or package of courses). For example, if you want to change from a Bachelor degree to a Certificate IV.
Changing your education provider – all student visa holders

In addition to ensuring that you comply with your visa conditions, there are also requirements under the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) National Code that apply if you want to change your education provider.
If you have not completed six months of your principal course (the main course of study you are undertaking) and you want to change your education provider, the ESOS National Code sets out the circumstances in which this will be possible. Unless special circumstances apply, you are usually required to have the permission of your existing education provider in order to transfer to another education provider.
If you do want to transfer, your education provider must assess or consider your request to transfer. All education providers must have documented procedures on their transfer policy. You should make sure you understand your education provider’s transfer policy, and what your written agreement says you must do, before you attempt to enrol with a new education provider.
If your education provider does not give you permission to transfer to another education provider and you are not satisfied with the outcome, you should first access the internal appeal process with your education provider. If you are still not satisfied, you can appeal the education provider’s decision at an external complaints handling body, such as the State or Territory Ombudsman or the Overseas Student Ombudsman.
Scenarios

The following are common scenarios about international students changing courses and complying with their visa conditions.
Moving from a university to a vocational education course

Unless certain exceptions apply to you, the ESOS National Code requires you to complete six months of your principal course (the highest qualification course) for which your visa was granted before changing from a University Course (for example a Bachelor degree) to a vocational education course (for example a diploma).
Australian migration law also requires you to obtain a new visa if you want to study in a different educational sector.

Names of people and education providers in this story are fictional for the purposes of this case study.
Mandeep was enrolled with the Eucalyptus University to study a Bachelor of Accounting. She was granted a Higher Education Sector (subclass 573) visa.
After commencing her bachelor degree, she was informed by a friend she could study her course faster and cheaper at a different institution. Mandeep thought this sounded like a good option as she wanted to get her degree as fast as possible. She thought she might have a problem with her visa if she changed her course.
Mandeep phoned the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to see if she could move to this cheaper institution. After confirming all the details of Mandeep’s case, the immigration officer told Mandeep her visa was granted under streamlined visa processing arrangements with the Eucalyptus University – if she changed to a non-streamlined education provider while holding a streamlined student visa, she might be in breach of a condition of her visa (condition 8516).
The immigration officer informed Mandeep that if she wanted to change education provider she would have to choose one of the following options:

transfer to another streamlined institution (after completing six months of her principal course)
apply for a new student visa (after completing six months of her principal course) with a letter of offer or confirmation of enrolment from the new provider.

Mandeep decided to move to the cheaper institution, regardless of the information she had found out about her visa. Shortly after, an officer of the department contacted her and issued a Notice of Intention to Consider Cancellation for her student visa. Mandeep responded to the notice and provided reasons why her visa should not be cancelled. An officer of the department considered her response and proceeded to cancel her student visa for breach of condition 8516 as she had not acted on one of the two options put to her earlier.
Mandeep was upset and regretted not abiding by the conditions of her visa. Mandeep no longer held a visa to remain lawfully in Australia and made arrangements to return to her home country.
Changing courses in the first six months

If you have not completed six months of the highest qualification course in which your visa was granted, you need a release letter from your education provider (unless certain exceptions apply to you under the ESOS National Code).
If you are refused a release letter or your circumstances are not excepted under the ESOS National Code, you might want to access the internal appeal process with your education provider.

Names of people and education providers in this story are fictional for the purposes of this case study.
Trung had heard a lot about Australia. His cousin had studied in Australia and Trung believed if he trained in Australia this would result in good employment prospects. His dream was to set up a boutique hotel. Trung applied to the Australian University to undertake a Bachelor of Commerce and the education agent assisted him in applying for a visa to be able to study this course.
Trung arrived in Australia on a Higher Education Sector (subclass 573) student visa in late July. He was excited to commence his course but as the semester progressed he felt overwhelmed by how intense and technical the lectures were. He also struggled with the Australian accent. After eight weeks Trung began to lose interest in the course and stopped attending classes.
Trung went to the Blue Gum Institute and sought to enrol in a Certificate III in Hospitality which would mean he could still pursue his dream of opening a hotel. The student advisor explained to Trung that he required a release letter from the Australian University prior to being able to enrol with Blue Gum Institute. Trung applied for a release letter but was not granted one.
Trung called the Department of Immigration and Border Protection for advice. He was informed by an officer of the department that his current visa was granted to study in the higher education sector at the Australian University and as Trung wanted to study Hospitality at the vocational level he needed a Vocational Education and Training Sector (subclass 572) student visa which is the correct visa for students that study in vocational education and training courses.
Trung decided to apply for a subclass 572 student visa for the course at Blue Gum Institute. He was happy in his course once he was granted the subclass 572 visa and thinks he might apply for another student visa to go back to the bachelor course once he has completed the Certificate III course.
Note: If Trung had not have applied for another student visa, which was more appropriate to the course of his study, his subclass 573 student visa would have been liable for cancellation. This is because it is a requirement of the conditions of a student visa that the holder maintain enrolment in a course of study that is appropriate to the subclass of student visa.
Moving to a ELICOS course at the advice of your university

If you are having difficulties in your course talk to your student advisor.
If delaying the commencement of your course to complete an English course confirm your education provider has issued you a new confirmation of enrolment.

Names of people and education providers in this story are fictional for the purposes of this case study.
Bess enrolled in a Bachelor of Engineering at Banksia University. She had achieved high marks in her previous schooling in China and was looking forward to commencing her course at Banksia University. Bess had achieved the appropriate IELTS level and was confident she would be able to do well in her chosen course of study.
Bess commenced her first semester but struggled with some of the language used in her course. She also found it hard to keep up with the pace that some of her lecturers spoke. Bess was concerned if she failed her course, her visa might be cancelled and she would have to return to China.
She decided to talk to a student adviser about her situation. After Bess discussed the issue with her student adviser, it was suggested she take an ELICOS level English course for one semester with the expectation she would return to her bachelor degree once her English improved.
Bess was concerned this would affect her student visa. She called the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and asked if she could move to an ELICOS course if she was intending to return to her original study plan.
The immigration officer told her as long as she continued her planned study at the Higher Education Sector (subclass 573) visa level after completing the English course, she will continue to meet her visa conditions. Bess called Banksia University to confirm her enrolment after completing her English course.
Bess completed her English course and then recommenced her bachelor degree.
Note: If Bess had substantially failed her studies at Banksia University, this might have led to the cancellation of her visa. This is because the conditions attached to a student visa require, among other things, that the student visa holder progress towards the completion of their course of studies.
Changing courses after the first six months

If you have completed six months of the highest qualification course in which your visa was granted, you might choose to change courses or educational sectors.
If you choose to change education sectors you must apply for a new visa and continue to study your original course until your new visa is granted for your new course.

Names of people and education providers in this story are fictional for the purposes of this case study.
Kumar arrived in Australia on a Higher Education Sector (subclass 573) student visa.
He commenced his bachelor degree at Wattle University; studying a Bachelor of Communication to learn about the role of communication in modern society. Kumar had aspirations to open his own mobile phone store.
After two months studying Kumar decided he wanted to change to a Diploma of Marketing. He felt the diploma course was more suited to his career aspiration as it would provide him with sound theory and knowledge of marketing to enable him to progress his career prospects in sales and marketing management.
While continuing his studies at Wattle University, Kumar researched education providers and approached Bottlebrush Institute and enquired about enrolling in a Diploma of Marketing. The Bottlebrush Institute administration staff advised Kumar he would need to provide a release letter from Wattle University, before he could enrol in this diploma course. Kumar was confused and didn’t understand why he needed a release letter. The administration staff explained that a release letter was required because he had not completed six months of the Bachelor of Communication for which his subclass 573 visa was granted.
Following receipt of this advice from the Bottlebrush College, Kumar checked the conditions of his student visa with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. The department confirmed Kumar’s visa was granted to study in the higher education sector at Wattle University. If he wanted to study a Diploma of Marketing, he needed a Vocational Education and Training Sector (subclass 572) student visa, which is the correct visa for students who study a vocational education and training course.
Upon receiving this information Kumar continued studying his Bachelor of Communication at Wattle University. He decided after completing six months of this course he would transfer to the diploma.
He later applied for the diploma course with the other institution and obtained a confirmation of enrolment for the diploma. He then applied for a Vocational Education and Training Sector (subclass 572) student visa which was granted to him so that he could undertake the diploma course.
Stopping study to work for a while

Most student visa holders can only work 40 hours per fortnight while their course is in session.
You must continue to study as the holder of a student visa.

Names of people and education providers in this story are fictional for the purposes of this case study.
José arrived in Australia on a Vocational Education and Training Sector (subclass 572) student visa.
He was from Peru and came to study in Australia as he had heard it was a great country to receive an education.
José enrolled in a Diploma of Information Technology. He was not sure what career path he would eventually take and felt that information technology was a good starting place.
He commenced his Diploma at Boomerang College and made a lot of friends in Australia while studying. One of his friends told him about casual work available at the local Greek Taverna and José started to work there on weekends. He was aware of his visas work conditions and only worked 10 hours per day on the weekends to ensure he didn’t work more than the maximum of 40 hours per fortnight allowed.
José enjoyed working at the Greek Taverna and wanted to increase his hours for a short while. He stopped attending classes and thought he would return to Boomerang College the following semester.
As his intention was to only work full-time for one semester, José did not think there would be a problem with not attending class.
A short while later, José received a notice from Boomerang College advising they were going to report him to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection for unsatisfactory attendance. The notice said he could access the College’s complaints and appeals. José was surprised to receive the notice and the following day attended Boomerang College to speak with the student advisor.
José explained he intended to work full-time this semester and return to his diploma the following semester. The student advisor told José he was breaching his visa conditions by working full-time and not attending classes. The advisor explained students are able to defer or temporarily suspend their studies; however this would only be approved on the grounds of compassionate and compelling circumstances. He was also told that suspending or cancelling his enrolment might affect his student visa.
José did not take the advice he received from the student advisor seriously and continued to work full-time.
Boomerang College cancelled José’s confirmation of enrolment and José soon received a Notice of Intention to Consider Cancellation of his student visa from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. He did not respond to the notice and the department cancelled his student visa.
As a result of the cancellation, José is barred from applying for various types of visas while in Australia and would likely be subject to a three-year exclusion period (re-entry ban) that would affect his ability to be granted a further temporary visa. José lost his job and no longer had a visa – he had to return to his home country.
Note: You must not engage in work before commencing your studies in Australia. Generally, most student visa holders are not permitted to work more than 40 hours per fortnight while their course is in session. Read more about working while studying in Australia.
Personal problems affecting studies

Seek treatment from a professional.
If you are having difficulties in your course talk to your student advisor.

Names of people and education providers in this story are fictional for the purposes of this case study.
Swati successfully completed a Certificate IV in Business at the Blue Gum Institute and applied for a second visa – a Higher Education Sector (subclass 573) student visa to study a Bachelor in Management at the Australia University. She hoped these skills would help her family’s business in India.
One week before Swati was due to start her management degree, she received a call from her father informing Swati that her mother had been diagnosed with cancer. Swati was upset and worried about her mother and would ring India every few hours. She wanted to return home but her father insisted she continue her studies in Australia. Swati tried hard to continue with her studies but she could not concentrate because she was stressed and anxious about her mother’s health.
Swati’s course attendance started to decline, until she was too stressed and anxious to attend her studies at all. Swati received a warning letter from the Australia University advising that her course progress was not adequate and she risked being reported to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. This made Swati feel depressed.
Swati went to see the student advisor at the Australia University for advice. The advisor suggested she go and speak to a doctor. Swati went to her local doctor who referred her to a psychologist.
The psychologist diagnosed Swati with depression. Swati wanted to feel better before continuing her studies. She took her documentation from the doctor and psychologist to the student advisor. The advisor granted Swati a deferral on the grounds of compassionate circumstances.
One week after the deferral was granted, Swati returned home to India for the period of her deferral. She took her medical and deferral documents with her as well as her new confirmation of enrolment that showed she would recommence her course in six months.
Swati felt better at home and was able to support her mother. She returned to Australia five and half months later and resumed her course two weeks after arriving in Australia.
Note: You might be questioned about your deferral by the department. It is important that you have access to any medical and/or deferral documents, especially if you intend to travel outside of Australia. This will ensure that you are able to present evidence to the department in the instance that you are questioned about your deferral while you are outside of Australia
Guardian departs Australia and leaves student minor in Australia

Before departure, ensure that you make adequate welfare arrangements for the student minor.
Appropriately inform the school and the department of these welfare arrangements prior to departure.

Names of people and education providers in this story are fictional for the purposes of this case study.
Romita came to Australia on a guardian visa to look after her son Surjit while he studied his high school qualifications.
All was going well until Romita’s husband Kirpal became ill and she needed to go home while her husband was in hospital for an operation. Romita thought she would need to be in India for six weeks while her husband recovered.
Romita did not know what to do – she did not want to take Surjit with her. He was studying in year 12 and she felt it was important for him to do well in his studies. Romita talked to Surjit’s school to ask for their advice.
Surjit’s school advised Romita she should make alternate welfare arrangements for Surjit before she leave Australia. The school offered to help find a homestay arrangement for Surjit. Romita said she had a 26 year old daughter who lived nearby in Australia. The school said they would be happy with a close relative looking after Surjit as long as the department approved the arrangement before Romita left Australia.
Romita called the department to seek advice. The immigration officer advised her if she could submit evidence of the need to travel, it would be appropriate for her to arrange for her daughter, provided she was more than 21 years of age, to look after Surjit in her absence. She was also advised that form 157N must be submitted together with information for her expected date of return. She was advised that the department should be informed of any change in circumstances.
Romita submitted this information to the department and her daughter was approved as the temporary guardian of Surjit. The immigration officer advised Romita she should take the confirmation of the changed welfare arrangements with her when she travelled in and out of Australia.
Romita returned home and cared for Kirpal. Once he was able to look after himself, Romita returned to Australia and stayed until Surjit finished his schooling, which was just before his 18th birthday.
Read more about education providers approving care arrangements for students less than 18 years old.Form 157N also explains what is and who can become a guardian.
To read common queries about changing courses, see the FAQ section of Department of Immigration and Border Protection website [contact-form-7 404 "Not Found"] .

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