• Tweet
• Sharebar

• Tweet

Australia July 27, 2011 – After Australia’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has made a series of changes on its immigration Australia policies, the number of Australian skilled visa applicants has declined for the past few months.

Just last month, news about more than 125,000 fewer overseas students are expected to come in the next 12 months that would cost more than 31,000 jobs nationwide, negatively hitting Australia’s economy, have been making rounds around the internet.

Likewise, another news has also been circulating about a confidential Immigration Department figures showing that with the tougher policies for migration to Australia being implemented, figures show that Victoria, the state that is most dependent on overseas students, will be hit the hardest, with 40,250 fewer student visa applicants in the next year.

The data showed a drop of 47 percent in the number of visa applications from India alone was being observed in the nine months to the end of March.

Currently, a fewer number of overseas students, including from India, will be able to obtain Australia skilled visa. This reduction is attributed based on the overseas students’ Australia qualifications which is said to be under tough new migration rules, according to an education expert.

Last February, Chris Evans, Immigration Minister had announced reforms on its migration policies that made it difficult for overseas students to get hold of a study visa, as well as attacking the overseas student’s ability to get permanent residency after graduation.

Similarly, last May, the Immigration minister has also announced a new alternative English language tests for Student visas. Now, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Pearson Test of English Academic (Pearson) and the Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) from Cambridge ESOL (Cambridge) have become acceptable tests for Student visa application purposes.

This new change will greatly favor overseas applicants from English-speaking countries who can easily meet the much tougher English language requirements of the new points test, according to Bob Birrell, a Monash university researcher.

Furthermore, the newly implemented skilled migration points test implemented last July 1 is said to have weakened the policy link between education and migration.

source:
articles.economictimes.indiatimes