A paper published on 23rd September on Australian Student Visa by former Liberal MP Bruce Baird states that changes could be made to the system of getting a student visa. As it is reported, the total market for student visas is about $15 billion in Australia. Mr. Baird would be working in order to carry out a review of the market. Mr. Baird has however made several suggestions that may be affecting the legislation that governs the international student market.

The paper is a sensitizing review which has been accepted and disapproved by many critics. It states that Mr. Baird has considered the benefit of ‘regulatory mechanism for ensuring diversity’. By limiting the number of foreign students entering Australia to study, would be a good idea. The following would be done by restricting the number of Australian student visa holders that each educational institution is allowed to accept. Mr. Baird however suggested that he is interested to limit the number of foreign students from a single country by limiting the number that it can outsource. The results of having tons of foreign students studying in Australia are not appropriate for quality education. A high volume of international students could lead to a degraded study experience.

However, reacting to Mr. Baird’s propositions, much criticism has followed. Reacting to the same Andrew Smith, Chief Executive of the Australian Council for Private Education and Training stated that there are already “robust set of standards” in place. According to him, the existing rules should be ensured of quality instead of brining in new rules. Smith also expressed concerns that the changes proposed could go too far in terms of “dictating to people how their businesses should be run.”

The issue paper, which is a part of full review, was commissioned in August by Australian Government which aims to identify key areas in the improvement of educational system and the international students studying in Australia. Mr. Baird, has also asked international students to respond to the issue paper for getting an insight about the same. Present Australian students and those who are planning to study in Australia along with the stakeholders could also respond to the same. Addressing to that, Mr. Braid said, “This review is an opportunity for the sector to take stock, look at what is working, what could be improved”. The full results of the review are expected in early 2010 and the Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, Julia Gillard has welcomed the issue paper and has encouraged all stakeholders to read and respond to the same.

Source :- http://www.angadinfo.com

admin Study Abroad Study Visa Australia

As per the statistics is concerned about the number of Indian students immigrating abroad on student visas, USA tops the chart with about 80,000 students in a year on an average with Australia coming second with about 40,000 students and then UK with 25,000 students a year. Canada however lags behind with about 4000 Indian students per year. A recent report suggested that to overcome the trend, Canada should invite more international students to study in Canada.

While many foreign universities are encouraging more and more Indian students to come and study in their premises, Canadian universities however takes on a very small portion of international students than other foreign universities abroad. Quoting that professor Mr. R.M. Touhey who published a study on this subject titled, “A New Direction for the Canada – India Relationship” analysed that Canada is lagging behind in taking sufficient number of international students than other developed countries. In the study he also revealed that the international student industry is worth approximately $300 billion dollars.

In his report, Prof. Touhey explained that Canada needs to take a notice of what Australian economy has accomplished by inviting more and more Indian students to study in Australia. The nation dramatically increased the number of Indian students in schools from 800 students in 1994 to 40,000 in 2008. All their advertising efforts and the “Brand Australia” campaign directed by the Australian Indian Council remain a success.

Further Prof. Touhey elaborated that the increasing number of Indian students in Canada would benefit the Canadian economy in enormous ways. Apart from just economic profit, the country could also promote in short term and long term political benefits. As Canada has been looking for making up deals with India in nuclear industry therefore politically speaking it would be a benefit to Canadian people.

The report outlines three such areas that should be emphasized to develop an underdeveloped and under-articulated relationship:
1.    Canada must strengthen its meagre public diplomacy/advocacy efforts in India. A Canada-India Council that will work to enhance the flow of knowledge and people between Canada and India needs to be created. Such an organization would facilitate advocacy and Track Two efforts with other interested organizations.

2.    Post-secondary linkages with Indian students, universities and colleges must be strengthened. To achieve this goal, the federal government should consider the following: Closer coordination with the provinces and higher-education sector actors engaged in India alongside the creation of a federally-funded program to develop and enhance bilateral education dialogue and linkages. Increased levels of federal funding for international scholarships that are available for Indian students. Conducting a national mapping study to identify the main academic institutions operating in India and catalogue their successes and failures to date.
3.    Canada and India should bolster their nascent science and technology (S&T) linkages through the following means: Increased funding for the current Canada and India S&T program. Long-term funding stability. Develop an S&T India Program led by the National Research Council to strengthen capacity building in India, particularly amongst higher education facilities.

Source :- http://www.angadinfo.com

admin Study Abroad Study Visa Canada

To keep a check on genuine student visa agents Australia suspended about 200 agents working in and outside India after the government of Australia received reports of fraudulent applications and low rate of visa approval cases. In order to re-gain the access to the online student visas system, the Australian government has asked the agents to ‘show cause’ and ‘justify’ their behaviour because they are simply meant for helping students with their application procedure to obtain a student visa which allows them a right to live and study in Australia.
The stir by the Australian Government Department is welcomed by the Association of Australian Education Representatives in India (AAERI). Welcoming the decision, The Association President stated, ‘We have been lobbying with the Australian Government to take action against the fraudulent agents in India, as well as to keep a check on the conduct of onshore agents in Australia and also their sub-agents in India.’
The Association President stated, “In addition to this recent crack-down, the AAERI is hoping the government will begin making more thorough checks to make sure international students have the means, in terms of financial capacity, to live in Australia and study at their chosen course”. Inspite of that, there are concerns over a lack of student visa checks to ensure if genuine students are living and studying in Australia through legal means.
In addition to that, The Australian Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans has announced that Australia would ensure the quality of students willing to study in Australia. The authorities would make sure that the student coming to Australia does not have fraud documents and have the financial capacity to live and study in Australia. To address the issue he said, “These measures will reinforce Australia’s standing as a high quality education destination for all genuine students”. The preventive measures would include upgraded interviews with the students and restricted online access to the Australian e-visa system to only genuine agents.
The Senator further said that the overall student compliance rates remain high. But he acknowledged that there are elements of concern within what is a very large caseload requiring targeted measures such as terminating or suspending agents because of evidence of fraud or poor approval rates to protect the interests of all genuine students. “The Australian Government takes allegations of fraud in the student visa program very seriously”, he added.
Apart from that the Australian government is continuing to work with its state counterparts to inspect the universities, colleges and schools to make sure that Australia provides high quality education to every student remaining a top notch education destination.

Source :- http://www.angadinfo.com

admin Study Abroad Study Visa Australia

Many Universities in the United Kingdom are pestering the government to help them get more and more foreign students to study in their campuses by easing the student visa rules. It is surprising to notice that the UK universities are competing with other countries like Australia etc, to enrol more and more foreign students. The ‘Universities UK’ has termed the overseas students as a ‘major export industry’. Drummond Bone, president of Universities UK quoted, “It is worth more than food and drink, tobacco, insurance, ships and aircraft”. Because of this the government would be lobbied to promote higher education in UK to recruit a potential student market instead of promoting restrict recruitment of students in the UK. UK has been a very popular destination among students for higher education. However the surveys conducted by OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) indicated that the proportion of businesses from students was slipping from UK universities resulting in comparatively lesser number of students choosing UK as their study destination.

Professor Bone was quoted saying, “”For British universities to remain amongst the foremost destinations for international higher education, we urge the government to support our efforts, and avoid putting any unnecessary barriers in our way. We have already raised our concerns about recent changes to the visa regime for international students as well as further measures proposed by government, including plans to abolish the right of appeal for international students who are refused visas, that risk making us less attractive as a study destination.”

The new study destination now days is Australia, as Australia attracts increasing number of students because of the opportunities it provides to its students after they finish their studies. Australia has the highest number of foreign students to its share than any other country. With time it is estimated that the Education business would grow substantially which could give an estimated business of about 20 Billion British Pounds by 2020. UK Universities are also planning to grow their universities by opening their campuses abroad. The ‘study abroad’ programmes help educational institutions benefit by getting a cultural exposure, diversity and moreover it helps their economy

admin Study Abroad

It is quite surprising to notice how students are withdrawing their attention from top universities of UK, USA, Canada etc due to recession and rather choosing New Zealand (NZ) universities over them. The ‘hot’ selling destination for them is now NZ which is still immune to the impact of the economic slump. The flow of maximum students is now going towards NZ as a study destination. The education in NZ is not only quite affordable but the country provides a clean and safe environment to live in. The benefits of studying in NZ are many. After the completion of one’s study an easy permanent residency could be obtained easily. The academic institutions of NZ are world class and are recognised globally. The fees are quite reasonable even if you wish to choose a highly reputed university in NZ.

The student experience is enhanced by the high standards of living and the scenic views & landscapes in and around New Zealand. The visa system is comparatively liberal and it allows students to work while they are pursuing their degrees in NZ. The points based system for obtaining a permanent residency allows students to be eligible for a PR in NZ. The points based assessment for a PR has different parameters for valuation which are based on different facts like qualification of the applicant, age, skills and proficiency in English language etc.

The numbers of student visas issued this year are more than last year. As per education New Zealand upto February 01, 2009, immigration NZ issued 67,530 student visas which are 4200 more than last year. On top of being an exotic destination with highly reputed universities from around the world the graduate work permit offered by the country is an ‘icing on the cake’. The 12 month permit or the graduate work permit is issued to students who complete their qualifications successfully in NZ. This allows them to qualify for the New Zealand skilled migrant category for immigration which is generally assessed using points based system. An applicant also does not require a job offer for this unlike other states and it provides a pathway to permanent residency as well.

angadinfo Study Abroad

In spite of recession, the youngsters from Chandigarh city wants to pursue their education from abroad and famous foreign shores still remain their favourite. The Princeton Review published a survey which reports that Chandigarh is going to be the largest market in India to outsource maximum number of students abroad for further studies. According to the institute’s findings, about 84,000 students from India went abroad last year out of which about 7000 alone were from Chandigarh, Bangalore remains the first with Delhi and Chennai being the second from India to send highest numbers of students abroad.

The most taken field of study field remains Engineering whereas the most popular study abroad destinations are USA, UK, Canada and Australia. As per the records, the numbers of students taking tests of TOEFL, GRE and SAT have supposedly risen in the area. Ms. Nidhie Modi, the group’s executive director said, “We compiled the data after examining reports of students applying in foreign institutions from various consulates to explain the methodology adopted to arrive at the present findings”.

It has been widely observed that affluent students from the city generally opt for foreign shores to follow their further studies, making it one of the most acknowledged states to send students wanting to study abroad. Whereas, it is really interesting to notice that Chandigarh alone has about 1200 educational consultants making it almost double the number in any city of the country. There has to be a reason behind that which is now clearly been found out by the survey.

angadinfo Study Abroad

While the students are planning for their destination abroad at this time of the year, recession hit countries are waiting to see foreign students enrol in their colleges or universities. This simply indicates that the institutes are waiting to see the impact of recession in educational fields. Unlike last year the youngsters going abroad on student visa was touching the sky in countries like USA, UK, Canada and Australia. Till last year the number of students going to Australia was around 97,000 from India and UK also issued around 30,000 student visas. India became leading nation from where the maximum number of students enrolled in colleges and universities with a record of 94,563 students in USA during 07-08.

But after recession, the Australians are experiencing a slump in the study abroad enrolment this year with around 14.9% decrease in US cases between October 2008 to January 2009. However, as it has been observed that it is too early to predict whether there will be an overall fall this year for foreign student’s applications. As it is observed that because of recession there has been a cut in the scholarships and financial aids provided to foreign students which makes it less alluring for them to apply. However, the whole picture whether recession is behind the study abroad plans of students would be clearer between April and July this year when it is the peak time of students applying for visas.

Canadian Minister for Immigration, Jason Kenney who was recently in India, acknowledging the impact on students said, “We will be actively promoting our colleges in India. Among the advantages that Canada offers to Indian students is the fact that they get on the fast track to the job market and permanent residence. Joining the campaign to allure more foreign students, Britain has also launched a new visa category for students called the Tier 4 for foreign students. “Most education agents feel that the new system will be well received. The one year Masters programme in the UK is value for money and helps Indian students enter the job market quickly. There are scholarships under the UK-India Education & Research initiative also makes the UK an attractive destination”, said Sally Goggin, first secretary Education, at the British Council.

Whereas other countries like New Zealand and France are hoping that the impact of recession would be positive other than negative on education market. The point system of NZ gives extra points to students who graduate from their universities to get the permanent residentship as well as jobs. Whereas France has now started a system where students can stay back for 6 more months and look for a job. Bigger countries like Australia are trying to attract Indian students by launching expensive campaigns work 3.5 million $. “Australia is still an attractive campus destination and not one of the countries which are worst hit by recession. The financial sector is still stable and still provide employment to people,” was said by Anthony Pollock, Chief executive and managing director of IDP education Pvt Ltd

angadinfo Study Abroad

It is reported that U.K. is going to introduce a new student visa system from March 31 this year. This new student visa system will place greater responsibility on universities and colleges in an attempt to sort out genuine students from hoax students.  The system would be called TIER-4 of the point based system (PBS) needing the applicants to score 40 points in order to be qualified for the student visa. Out of 30 points for a genuine visa, 30 points will be given to a valid visa letter issued by a licensed sponsor and 10 points for sufficient monetary resources for the course fees and sufficient monetary resources.

The visa letter would be a proof and responsibility by the university that would show the institute as the sponsorer and would undertake the responsibilities of a student for his/her capability to study in U.K. Chris Dix, Regional Director (South Africa and Gulf UK Border Agency) said, “Under TIER 4 we will see education providers taking the responsibility of ensuring a perspective student’s ability and English language proficiency”.

Mr. Dix Further elaborated and said, “Many students receive multiple offer letters which makes it increasingly difficult to keep track of the exact university they enrolled in. This new visa system will allow a student to be tied down to only one institution. This will further ensure that those going to UK on a student visa are infact there to study. This would allow the authorities to keep track of foreign students enrolled in a particular institution even if they receive multiple offer letters. A student would only be able to use one offer letter to apply for the visa, wherein if the student wished to change the institution he/she will have to obtain permission from UKBA.

Highlighting new aspects of the new system, Mr. Dix said, “Students who successfully complete a bachelors or higher study degree can apply for work permit under TIER-1 (Post study and highly skilled workers) within a year of graduating in the UK”. Also the benefit of the new system would be that it won’t be necessary for the student to return to India as they can switch from a student visa to work visa directly from the UK itself.

angadinfo Study Abroad