Amid the ongoing attacks on Indians down under, Australian authorities have tightened procedures to keep out those unable to meet the costs involved in pursuing academics without taking up part-time jobs. According to latest data, Australia refused admission to one-third of Indian students who applied to educational institutions in that country between July and October last year, citing a high incidence of documentation fraud. Overestimation of cash reserves to be shown as mandatory assets accounted for a majority of frauds.
The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship turned down 33.2% of the 21,120 student visa applications between July 1 and October 31, 2009 — a substantial increase from 6.5% in the corresponding period in 2008. India was second only to Nepal (38.8%) in the visa refusal rate; Pakistan stood third with 30.8%. In a letter to CEO of Universities Australia, a copy of which is with TOI, the department of immigration said, ‘‘A forensic analysis of applications conducted by immigration officers at Australian High Commission in New Delhi found extremely high rates of fraud within documentation being provided in support of student visa applications in India. Over 50% of cases analyzed contained at least one fraudulent document, with many of these cases containing numerous such documents.’’
The spurt in refusals is a fallout of the stringent checks imposed by the department after education providers and media reports raised concerns about visa processing in the country.
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On 09th November 2009, Australian Government has proposed a few changes to the requirements of Living Costs and evidence of funds for international students. The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship announced that the requisite amount required for ‘show money’ for a student visa application for international students will increase under the proposed changes. Other than the proof of funds required for a visa, the genuinity and availability of finances would also be questioned. The proposed changes would be crucial for the grant of a visa to any applicant who is wishing to pursue education in Australia.
Changes in Living Costs and Evidence of Funds
As, it is made mandatory by the Migration Regulations that international students must show evidence of sufficient funds so that they have no problems paying the living costs and cost of studying during their stay in Australia. In order to sustain living in Australia, the foreign student must provide enough evidence of funds as it is necessary to ensure that the student has the capability to concentrate on their studies and have a great studying and living experience. Students can however work part time in Australia so that they are also able to supplement some of the money they need and also enrich their work experiences. However, permitting a student to work part time does not signify that they should depend on it for their living costs and take their studies for granted in order to make their ends meet.
Now the Australian legislation is going to make changes and would increase the financial amount required for a visa application. Previously under the Migration Regulations the basic rate of living is set for $12,000 per year. If approved by the Governor General, the proposed changes will come under effect from 01st January 2010. Under the proposed new regulations, prospective student visa applicants and their family members must have access to the following funds to meet the living costs requirements:
$18 000 per year for the main student
$6300 per year for the student’s partner
$3600 per year for the student’s first child
$2700 per year for every other child; and where required demonstrate that the funds they are relying upon to meet the costs of studying in Australia will be genuinely available to them during their stay in Australia.
The proposed changes will come into effect after an observation that the funds required earlier, since 2001, were not adequate anymore for a healthy stay of students in Australia. Students would be required to prove that the funds they are showing would be genuinely available by various procedures, if questioned by the authorities. The immigration authority would check the applicant’s previous financial and immigration history as well to ensure that they only allow a genuine student to enter Australia. On top of that the authorities would also check the employment histories of the student or the person who is sponsoring the living cost and studies of the student. If doubted again, the immigration authorities could ask for more information from the student. A students relying upon a bank loan may need to show that these funds have been deposited into a bank account to which they have unrestricted access, and that they have the financial capacity to service the loan both before they depart for Australia and once they arrive.
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The overnight closure of some Australian colleges in Australia sent jitters to the students of those campuses. The Meridian International School and the International College of Creative Arts, both in Melbourne, and the Meridian International Hotel School and International Design School, with campuses in Melbourne and Sydney, closed on Thursday. They provide tuition in hospitality, design, English, fashion and secondary education. However, the outcome of the sudden closure was not very surprising as several hundred international and local students rallied and protested against this sudden action of the college authorities.
The administrators however stated that it would be unlikely that the company that owned the colleges is in a position to refund students their fee amount or pay anything to the staff members. The Global Campus Management owned about four college campuses in Sydney and nine in Melbourne, all of which are now closed. The act of sudden closure has however left an uncertain future for almost 2,700 international students and about 370 staff members.
Speaking on the issue Voluntary administrators PPB Corporate Recovery stated that it was unlikely that students are going to receive any funds from the organization. Some of the students were only few weeks away from completing their courses. However, keeping in mind their future it is a possibility that these students may be relocated to some other colleges so that they would be able to complete their courses or they could be covered by insurance. “We’re working closely with the Commonwealth and state authorities, they have various schemes available. I think they are organizing meetings next week with the students and they will be dealing with them on a one-by-one basis,” he said.
As far as the staff’s payments are concerned, the employees would be paid as they are covered by the government’s safety net scheme. Mr. Parbery said, “The administrator had also received inquiries from parties showing interest in buying the collapsed colleges. We actually have got some people that have on the twelfth hour come to the company and want to talk to us. We will have some initial discussions with those parties.”
The students, on the other hand, were shocked and shaken by the sudden actions of the company that owned their colleges. Many students talked to the media and told their wailing stories. Vanun Mathun and Prachi Bhanot told the local newspapers that they have each paid the college $7,000 for a summer semester after being pressured by the college managers in the last month. They had no idea whether they would get any money back.
Taking actions on the same, The Australian Education Union (AEU) has called for tougher industry regulations for private training centres. The President of AEU, Angelo Gavrielatos said a new set of tough national standards were needed to reduce the risk of students and teachers being left in limbo in the future. He said, “There is a growing number of private colleges collapsing and it’s the students who pay the price. There is no doubt many of these problems are due to the unchecked privatization of this sector”. He called for minimum teaching qualifications for staff, a requirement for providers to demonstrate their financial viability and a proven track record in providing education. The government of Australia, keeping in mind the education standards and the comfort of International students would introduce stricter registration measures for private education providers next year.
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Australia has been condemning attacks on students since a while but recently they sent a clear message to every person living in Australia that violence of any kind with foreign students will not be tolerated. Australian High Commissioner in India, on Tuesday made a statement outlining the fact that Indian students studying in Australia would be ensured safety and racist violence against them would not be tolerated.
As the media reported the merciless racist attacks on Mr. Sukhraj Singh, an Indian student in Canberra along with many other such cases the higher authorities of Australia remain in question. The statement was made by the Australian High Commissioner in India after the sentencing of the guilty person in Sukhraj’s case, who was detained, has now been sentenced to four and a half years in prison without the possibility of a parole. The high commissioner said that it was a demonstration that Australia is adopting “zero tolerance” approach to violence against students. The statement continued, “There is no place in the Australian society for racism or racist violence and the perpetrators of any such acts will face the full force of the law.” On the other hand, the case judge, Pamela Jenkins who sentenced the accused also condemned the attacks. Judge Jenkins said the assault was among a number of racist attacks that had provoked international and local community outrage and should be condemned. “Short of becoming prisoners in their own homes, there is little potential victims can do to prevent such attacks,” she said.
The widespread outrage reflects previous statements from the Australian government and the Australian immigration department insisting that living in Australia is safe for overseas students. Australia can not afford to ruin its image as an unsafe foreign study destination as the Indian student industry in Australia contributes a huge amount to Australian economy each year as it also remains one of the most popular destinations for students coming from India. Other than India many students from China, UK and the US who choose to study in Australia eventually end up immigrating to Australia or start working in Australia once they finish with their courses. For more information and queries please refer to our website http://www.angadinfo.com/ or e-mail us at rajdeep@angadinfo.com
Australian authorities have now started noticing the trend among many student visa applicants of fraudulently immigrating to Australia by acquiring student visas. Many agents around the globe along with corrupt employers have now started abusing student visa to smuggle people to Australia deceptively. According to the leading recruitment firm IDP Education Australia, “Unscrupulous landlords, employers and migration and education agents are using Australian student visas to smuggle people into the country”.
“There is a ‘chain of exploitation’ abusing the system through which people can move to Australia to study, in order to make money from vulnerable students”, said Tony Pollack, chief executive of IDP. He also mentioned that many authorities have caught people on student visas working part-time or studying in a fraudulent college. The applicants are usually conned with misrepresentative advice from many study visa agents. Tony Pollack further claimed that the problem affected hundreds of students and created a “deep resentment” among the student population who had been exploited.
Surprisingly, a research by the Australian authorities itself found that many immigration agents are themselves sponsoring the prospective fraud students by showing their bank accounts to apply for the visa as it is a must that for a student visa, a student must have about $12,000 in their account. The agents enrol bogus students in unregistered or fake colleges owned by deceitful landlords or the agents themselves. The colleges also mark the fake students’ attendance and misrepresent them as attending classes while they clearly are working outside. Pollack has said that the offenders enrolling bogus students for Australian Visas would be tracked down and will be punished.
A local newspaper of Australia, Brisbane Times, further quoted, “Indian students will face greater screening as the Government cracks down on visa fraud and scrutinizes the ability of students to finance life in Australia. Students from target countries will face more stringent interviews and curbed access to visa applications online. Addressing the issue, Senator Chris Evans said, “The message is clear. Genuine international students remain welcome in Australia but we will not tolerate fraud in the student visa program.” There are now going to be many rigorous measures taken by the Australian student visa council to combat the problem of fraud and false applications. Applicants deemed at risk of cheating the system will also be hauled in for interviews to determine their legitimate intention to study.
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Indian students on international campuses over the last few years have emerged as the biggest group world over, even lagging the number of Chinese students behind. As reported by the annual publications of Open Doors by the Institute of International Education (IIE), in association with the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, India remained the leading country of origin of foreign students in America for the seventh consecutive time in financial year 2008 increasing by 13% to 94,563 students overall.
Overall, more than 2 lac Indian students studied overseas last year. The attraction of foreign campuses is due to enormous reasons and not just because of infrastructure problems at home institutions- such as poor organisation structure, not enough seats for professional courses, improper competition or the reservation system. Studying overseas is considered as a huge opportunity for global careers and Indian students turn out to be the most skilled professionals among the lot. Indian families enroot their children since the beginning to the benefits of education and they go a long way to avail them with good education. Many families are willing to do investments in their children’s future by availing themselves of loans to send their younger ones abroad for further education. To top it all, Indian banks seem to have developed a great interest in providing loans for few years of educations abroad to aspiring students.
Indian students are being considered as huge market surpluses by many overseas universities which mainly depend on offshore students as they generate large revenues for them. For instance, in 2007-08 educational institutions in Australia earned around A$13.7 billion, purely from international students out of which about 97,000 students came from India.
The Australian ‘education’ dream however now seem to fade away with the new buzz across the country about racial attacks on Indian students and on the other hand the impacts of recession on the global market. Inspite of all, many students are still pursuing Australia as it was once considered as a hottest campus for education. According to the latest figures as provided by the US Embassy, a dramatic decline of 25% in the numbers of F1 student visas issued in India for the financial year of 2009 (Oct- 208 to Sep 2009) as this year only 25,860 visas were issued against 34,510 issued in FY 2008.
Many experts still believe that inspite of the downturn and decrease in number of students going abroad, the numbers of students seeking admission abroad will continue to rise. Speaking on the same, Ms. Shevanti Narayan- country co-ordinator, educational advising services, United States India Educational Foundation- said, “Worldwide economic recession is bound to have an impact n the number of students applying to the USA. However, interest in US higher education continues. Large numbers of students still throng the US university fairs that we organise and we continue to meet students at our centres all over the country seeking guidance on the application procedures. The benefits of US higher education can not be undermined an Indian student equipped with US education comes out with a truly global edge.”
People still see US as a preferred destination for education abroad simply because of its multi-ethnic population as many students are getting paranoid with racial attacks. Ms. Narayan further added that US continues to be a popular destination for Indian students. The quality, choice, value and flexibility are some of the factors that make Indian students choose US over any other country. The US educational experience encourages one to be innovative, creative and think independently. The long term career prospects of a student are enhanced as the method of teaching is designed to apply theoretical knowledge. The American approach to education is recognised as among the best and most innovative in the world.
Australia on the other hand is going to suffer setbacks while attracting the same amount of foreign students as following the recent attacks on Indian students the Australian government has now taken precautionary measures to filter genuine students out of the lot. Michael A. Opie, Manager International Students (International office- Charles Darwin University) was quoted saying, “I was told by all agents that the number of applications are down for Australia and that they expect it to take atleast 6 months to recover. I think the steps taken by the Australian government will help but now that many Indian students are being interviewed before a visa is granted I suspect that this will mean that fewer visas are refused for diploma level studied. This will also reduce the number of students coming to Australia. Prospective students are also aware that there are likely to be changes in migration rules in the near future and this is also causing some hesitation about applying to study in Australia.”
Following the uproar on systematic rules and regulations for student visas, UK Border Agency has also streamlined the system for applying for a visa under Tier 4 system which was amended recently on October 1st. Speaking on the same, Ms. Sally Goggin, Head Education, British Council India and Sri Lanka says, “We are still seeing an increase in the number of students going to the UK. Education is so important to Indian families that they will put this ahead of many other things and continue to invest in their children’s future. I think education is seen as even more important in a time of economic slowdown as it becomes a key routine to ensuring a secure career. The new visa regulations have been introduced over the past few months and students and agents are slowly getting used to these and the process is therefore coming easier now that the transition from the old to the new system has taken place. Based on what we are hearing from UK institutions and the UK border agency numbers have increased this year”. This year a rough estimate has shown that in 2008 there were over 30,000 Indian students in UK and over 15% increase has taken this year.
Canada also does not lag behind. Canada is expecting a hike in the number of students from India. Indian students are weighing advantages as they are allowed to work part time and even gain a permanent residency after they finish with their studies. Studying in Canada is also seen as an advantage for a fast track global job market. Ms. Maria Mathai, Director, Canadian Education Centre, India said, “The cost of studying and living in Canada has remained stable at about Rs. 4-4.5 lac per year. Besides there has been significant interest and a positive vibe generated by the launch of the Canadian experience class visa which is a policy is favourable to international students. Most institutions in Canada have seen an increase in enrolments and some have had record number of applications. This year we are quite optimistic and expert to continue to demonstrate an increased percentage in overall numbers of Canada.”
Apart from that, countries like France, New Zealand and Germany have also opened doors for Indian students on job market front. France now allows its students to stay back for 6 more months to look for jobs after they finish with their studies. New Zealand, under the skilled immigration category allows skilled students to stay back and gain a permanent residency status. The demand for student visas among Indian nationals is going to rise within coming months.
Source- Economic Times
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A new report based on a survey would be released very soon by the Australian International Education Conference, Sydney, which states that studying in Australia is one of the safest places for Indian students to pursue their further education abroad. The survey was carried out by IDP Education, a student recruitment firm, interviewing about 1130 Indian graduates and students wishing to study abroad. 26 percent of the sample students ranked studying in Australia as the safest options among provided. Australia was also ranked top in terms of government policies in place to protect international students, immigration laws and ease of application for an Australian visa, with 19 per cent of the votes from Indian students. The US came second in this category, followed closely by the UK, Canada and New Zealand.
Inspite of the news flashing across the globe about ‘racial attacks on Indian students’ many Indian students still believe that Australia is the safest destination to study abroad. Pursuing higher education in Australia is quite popular among Indian students who have dreams of fetching a top-quality education, while gaining valuable language and cultural knowledge. The government of Australia has been working hard to keep a check on such racial attacks and ensure safety to foreign students coming from India to study in Australia. Speaking on the same, a spokesperson for IDP Education said, “these results are very encouraging in the light of recent challenges to Australia’s reputation as a quality, safe and good value provider of education to Indian students.” Chris Evans, the Australian immigration Minister also welcomed the results of the survey as he laid out new plans to attract new students for visa applications.
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A recent study claims that due to lack of cultural assimilation skills, Australian student visa holders are losing out on opportunities to work in Australia. The study was commissioned by the Australian government. The study reports that many young foreigners who have studied in Australia even after being highly skilled or semi skilled in professions demanded in skill shortage lists, are struggling to succeed in interviews. Students who do not speak English as their first language have problems communicating successfully in the workplace. The study was carried out by the ‘Centre for the Study of Higher Education’ found the facts about problems of communication among students who do not speak English at workplaces.
The study’s project director Sophie Arkoudis said that overseas students often saw the ability to communicate effectively in interviews and in work as irrelevant. She explained, ”The students are very fixed on completing their course. However, many students may not see learning social language skills as relevant.” The study concluded that, “the Australian employers interviewed sought well-rounded employees who not only have sufficient English language skills but also have the cross-cultural ability and the potential to adapt to working in Australia’.”
A spokesperson for Julia Gillard, the education minister, said she welcomed the study as it showed that 85% of immigrants who had moved to Australia on student visas were able to find work in Australia within six months of graduating. Communication has always been a bridging factor as well as a gap between foreigners and local people. The study was titled as “The impact of English language proficiency and workplace readiness on the employment outcomes of tertiary international students”.
The study concluded that non English speaking students experienced difficulties getting a job than those international students who spoke English. Apart from that the study gave recommendations as how international students could be helped further to get a job in Australia. The employer groups are encouraged to develop access and equity guidelines for recruiting overseas-born workers (both onshore and offshore graduates), taking into consideration fair and equitable strategies/methods for evaluating applicant’s communication skills.
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.
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.
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