ID :
17940
Wed, 09/03/2008 - 21:02
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/17940
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Indian students may have to push harder to get Australian visa
Melbourne, Sep 3 (PTI) Indian students seeking admission in Australia may have to push harder to get a visa as authorities there have moved India up on the 'immigration risk' scale to check their numbers.
According to the latest official data, there were 65,000 Indian students in Australia in the year to June, mostly in vocational education. Although they constitute smaller number as compared to Chinese students but their growth rate was much higher -- upto about 55 percent as compared to China's 19 percent.
While India was not alone in moving up the risk scale, Visa applicants from Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Jordan, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Romania and Zimbabwe will also have to now do extra work to show that they were bona-fide students.
"The status of these nine countries had been changed 'to combat increased levels of immigration risk'," an spokesperson from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship said.
The spokesperson, however, said "genuine applicants had nothing to fear from the changes".
"All universities were likely to have asked students to lodge their visa applications and processed before September 1 change in immigration risk levels, which affects a host of overseas markets," the pro-Vice Chancellor (international) of New South Wales University, Jennie Lang said.
We will also be encouraging (Department of Immigration and Citizenship) staff in offshore posts to ensure that university sector applicants are given priority, Lang was qouted in 'The Australian' newspaper.
The students of the nine countries will have to give
extra evidence of their capacity to support themselves
financially, especially with savings histories, the report
said.
The risk levels are set across various sectors, including
English language courses, vocational education and higher
degrees.
The higher risk assessment affects all sectors of the
Indian education market, which moved up by one level. In the
latest year-to-date figures from Australian Education
International, there were more than 392,000 overseas students
in Australia, representing almost a 20 percent increase in
enrolments.
India, China and Nepal continued to be strong growth
markets, but those such as Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan
continued to decline.
According to the latest official data, there were 65,000 Indian students in Australia in the year to June, mostly in vocational education. Although they constitute smaller number as compared to Chinese students but their growth rate was much higher -- upto about 55 percent as compared to China's 19 percent.
While India was not alone in moving up the risk scale, Visa applicants from Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Jordan, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Romania and Zimbabwe will also have to now do extra work to show that they were bona-fide students.
"The status of these nine countries had been changed 'to combat increased levels of immigration risk'," an spokesperson from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship said.
The spokesperson, however, said "genuine applicants had nothing to fear from the changes".
"All universities were likely to have asked students to lodge their visa applications and processed before September 1 change in immigration risk levels, which affects a host of overseas markets," the pro-Vice Chancellor (international) of New South Wales University, Jennie Lang said.
We will also be encouraging (Department of Immigration and Citizenship) staff in offshore posts to ensure that university sector applicants are given priority, Lang was qouted in 'The Australian' newspaper.
The students of the nine countries will have to give
extra evidence of their capacity to support themselves
financially, especially with savings histories, the report
said.
The risk levels are set across various sectors, including
English language courses, vocational education and higher
degrees.
The higher risk assessment affects all sectors of the
Indian education market, which moved up by one level. In the
latest year-to-date figures from Australian Education
International, there were more than 392,000 overseas students
in Australia, representing almost a 20 percent increase in
enrolments.
India, China and Nepal continued to be strong growth
markets, but those such as Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan
continued to decline.
