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Australia September 14, 2011 – Overseas students call for Australian student visa flexibility and consistency.

During last month’s International Student Roundtable at Parliament House in Canberra – in which nine proposals were submitted by overseas students that called for the improvement of Australia student visa flexibility and consistency — Australia visa issues have dominated the deliberations.

The International Student Roundtable was launched by Minister for Education Julia Gillard and was attended by thirty-one international students from across Australia. Students selected from more than 1,300 applications from all states and territories, broadly representing the diversity of international students studying in Australia, meet for over two days to discuss student concerns and experiences. The roundtable is one of several DEEWR initiatives to improve the quality and sustainability of Australian international education and will complement proposed amendments to strengthen the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act.

A Call for Flexibility
With uncertainties caused by unsettling changes in government policies, including rules for visas and skilled migration to Australia as well as the high Australian dollars and image problems following a spate of attacks on overseas students, particularly on Indian students, calls for a relaxation of the Australian student visa requirements and costs was released.

In a communiqué released just recently — following the Canberra meeting — calls on the government were made in regards with the relaxation of the Australian student visa extension requirements and application costs.

Thirty roundtable participants had also called changes to English language testing arrangements though Australia student visa reforms are already underway through the Knight and Baird reviews — a strategic review of the student visa program, headed by the former NSW Labor MP Hon Michael Knight AO commissioned by the Australian Government.

Moreover, the roundtable participants wanted to see that the IELTS test costs will be reduced and the overall test results will be deemed acceptable in instances where benchmarks hadn’t been set for all four skill areas of reading, writing, talking and listening.

Furthermore, the communiqué also offers 18 recommendations that address overseas students’ education experience, social inclusion, cost of living pressures, safety and welfare.

source:
theaustralian.com.au