Australia Plan To Liberalize Its Student Visa Program

In an effort to attract more international students to the Land Down Under in the increasingly competitive world of the higher education market, the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) recently announced changes to its student visa rules.

The changes, also referred to by the regulatory body as the Knights review, were announced last September 22, 2011. It is said that it will ease up on its Australian visa requirements for students, student visas to Australia rules and restrictions.
Released by the Australian Federal Government, the report was conducted by the former NSW Labor MP and the former Minister for the Sydney Olympic and Paralympic Games, Hon Michael Knight AO. The Strategic Review of the Student Visa Program 2011, an independent strategic review of student visa Australian program that is intended to enhance the quality, integrity and competitiveness of Australias international education sector, as well to strengthen the integrity of the Student visa program --- has brought changes that are set to liberalize the student visa Australia program.
Minister of Tertiary Education, Senator Christopher Evans, stated that Australia has world class international education sector, and the reforms announced recently will be of great assistance to help entrench Australia as a preferred education destination for international students.
Recognizing that the international education sector is one of Australia's largest export industries and is a vital factor to Australia in strengthening bilateral ties with key partner countries, the Australian Government has stated to introduce the following changes --- these are just some salient changes:
a new streamlined student visas for Australia processing arrangements for a range of Australian university courses in order to have a much faster and easier student visa Australia access for potential students in time for second semester next year.
implementation of a suite of measures or reforms that will further enhance competitiveness in Australia's international education sector. These reforms will be made possible through a new 'genuine temporary entrant' requirement for all Student Visa applicants that will enable the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to better assess applications and attract more international students to apply for student visas to Australia.
less burdensome financial guarantees where students enrolled in Australian universities for a tertiary degree course will be required only to state that they have sufficient funds to pay their course fees and support themselves for the duration of their study rather than being required to provide evidence, although the department will retain the ability to ask them to do so.
introduction of a post-study work visa that includes:
All Australian Bachelors degree graduates (with at least two years study in Australia) be eligible for two years post-study work rights in Australia
All Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students (visa Subclass 574) be treated as Assessment Level, and be given three years work rights
Masters by Research graduates be given three years post-study work rights, and PhD graduates will be eligible for four years post-study work rights
student work entitlements be 40 hours per fortnight instead of 20 hours per week
DIAC regularly reviews the current living cost amount, and based on the CPI or other measure, amend the amount as required
These changes occurred following the decline in international enrollment figures in the last fiscal year of 20 percent.
Australias third largest export has been education and Australias international education services have been endangered by the financial recession, strict visa requirements, and the globally publicized attacks on Indian students.
Now with these changes, Australia is hoping to attract more foreign students and strengthen its international education sector.