This is the report of a review commissioned by two ministers - the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations. Australia's Student Visa Program enables international students to study in Australia. The program facilitates the continued strength and competitiveness of the international education sector while ensuring appropriate integrity measures are maintained. The integrity of the program has been challenged in recent years by the promotion of Australian education courses as a pathway to permanent migration.... [+] Show more
This is the report of a review commissioned by two ministers - the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations. Australia's Student Visa Program enables international students to study in Australia. The program facilitates the continued strength and competitiveness of the international education sector while ensuring appropriate integrity measures are maintained. The integrity of the program has been challenged in recent years by the promotion of Australian education courses as a pathway to permanent migration. The government reformed the Skilled Migration program to clearly affirm that while there are opportunities for international students seeking permanent residency in Australia, there is no guaranteed pathway. More recently, the international education industry in Australia has come under increasing pressure as a result of the rising value of the Australian dollar, the ongoing impact of the global financial crisis in some countries, and increased competition from other countries in the international education market. With a view to enhancing the quality, integrity and competitiveness of the international education sector, as well strengthening the integrity of the Student Visa Program, the Review examined and made recommendations on: (1) an effective partnership framework that considers the respective roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders, including education providers, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, and state and territory education departments; (2) the appropriateness of existing threshold requirements for student visa applicants including English language proficiency, financial capacity and educational qualifications; (3) approaches to more effectively gauge and manage immigration risk in the student visa caseload, including considering the suitability of the Assessment Level model; (4) approaches, including compliance measures, to prevent misuse of the program and deter breaches of visa conditions; and (5) the suitability of separate visas for schools, vocational education and training, higher education, postgraduate research, AusAid or Defence, non-award and student guardians. The Review took into account: student visa programs in comparable countries; relevant reviews and inquiries; global trends in the international education market; the objectives of Australia's demand-driven Skilled Migration program; and best practice data management, exchange and analysis, with regard to privacy principles.
Excerpts from publication.
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