Significant Changes for The International Students in Australia

Are you planning to study in Australia? Then you should be aware that the visa rules for students and graduate visas have changed from 2012. The student visa subclass 500 will now be judged under the following rules and the application will be tendered according to these rules. With the number of students increasing per year, the Australian government devised these new steps to confirm the selection of the appropriate candidates. Naturally, the application documents and the way of application will be changed accordingly. Therefore, taking the help of proficient migration agents will be an intelligent step for the candidate.

The Student Visa: What You Get Now

Student visas were expressly devised to give overseas scholars to improve their educational status and get a boost in their career path by their chosen course. However, the recent facilities the department of immigration offers the overseas students are;

Taking part in an eligible course
Include your family member or dependents
Apply online inside or outside the country
Chance of working for up to 40 hours for 2 weeks after the course has commenced

However, the new facilities have been decided after the necessary changes in the rules of the student visa 500.

The Changes That Took Place

The Australian student visa rules were changed according to the Knight review; whose report aimed to improve the handling of the overseas students. According to the suggestions of the report, the following changes were effected in the visa acceptance of the students as per the following pointers;

A post-study work visa, which permits graduates of bachelor, masters, and PhDs to provide labor in Australia up to four years after they graduate was introduced.
Results from the Test of English (TOEFL iBT), (PTE) or the Pearson Test of English Academic and the Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) test were given acceptance as the English proficiency test. Earlier, only IELTS grades were acknowledged.
Prepaid homestay fees were included in the economic requirements valuation.
The time that Ph.D. students can stay in Australia while their research work is being marked was increased.
Financial requirements for Assessment Level 3 and 4 student visa applicants were reduced by AUD$36,000 approximately while applying for a visa.
The (PVA) or pre-visa assessment policy for applicants of Assessment Levels 4 and 3 enrolling in a bachelor’s degree or higher was discontinued.
Student visa assessment levels for applicants from some countries were dropped.

The Result

The changes that were introduced affected different facets of the student visa 500. With the newly introduced guidelines, some changes became mandatory for this visa and some regulations were freshly added. The changes that would be now incorporated in the visa application process are given as;

Cost of The Visa

An application charge charge of AUD$535 (non-refundable) instead of the old AUD$565 applies to most of the student visa applications. Students who get support from Commonwealth-approved programs, secondary school students studying in exchange programs or students who got affected by the termination of their education provider need not pay the charges.

Visa Cancellation Policy

Cancellation of student visas automatically because of insufficient presence, unsatisfactory progress and crossing the allotted number of work hours will be abolished. Although the risk of visa cancellation over these breaks will still remain, the cases will be evaluated by the department on a single basis.

Reducing Migration Risk

Students who submit their submissions with a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) from a contributing university in Australia at bachelor, masters or doctoral degree level will be assessed as a lower migration risk (similar to the current Assessment Level 1) applicant. Their country of origin will not be taken into consideration.

Employment Limitations

International students could work up to a maximum of 20 hours per week before 2012. It has now become a more malleable 40 hours for 2 weeks, which means you can work 15 hours in one week and 25 hours in the next week, as long as the limit is not crossed. Students can start working after they have started a study course, and the restrictions will apply only when their course is running. Students can work for unlimited hours in the holidays or breaks. Students completing a master’s or doctoral degree will not face the work-limit.

Approval to Work

Student visa holders, whose visa was accepted on or after 26^th April 2008get their work rights automatically; it is included in the AUD535 application charge. However, if your visa was accepted before this date and you want to apply for working rights, you can do so by paying a fee of AUD 75.

Introduction of SkillSelect for Migration Visas

A new skilled migration program has been introduced by the department and three new visas that cater to exclusively the population with proficiency in nominated jobs have been proposed. The new subclasses will be called (skilled independent) or subclass 189 visa, subclass 489 (skilled regional — provisional) and subclass 190 (skilled nominated). The old skilled migration visas like subclasses 175, 886, 885, 176, 475, and 487 will remain in their place. the location requisite has been relaxed; meaning that the applicant can now be inside or outside Australia while submitting an application for this visa.

The rule of prior study or work experience is removed, but remains a section of the points-based test. For the application to be successfully deposited, an online Expression of Interest (EOI) will have to be submitted in the SkillSelect portal of the ministry.

Choosing The Most Expert Help

As discussed above, the visa application process has become less costly and easy-to-reach. But due to the addition of certain rules and regulations in the student visa have made the application procedure a little complex. Therefore, to ensure that the visa application is properly submitted with the correct documents evidence, the applicant can always take the help of the immigration agent Perth in this matter.

The experienced official will not only ensure that the visa application has been correctly done but also check the validity of the documentary proofs tendered alongside. Therefore, taking the help of the migration agent can be a positive approach.