Page 5 - StudyTravel Magazine April 2024 Issue

NEWS AUSTRALIA

by Matthew Knott, News Editor
Read full news stories online...
www.studytravel.network

Australia: visa denials, new rules and
withdrawn offers cause chaos for sector
LANGUAGE SECONDARY TERTIARY ASSOCIATED
ustralia’s international education cy Association www.neca.
sector has reported a spike in org.np noted “a significant
Avisa refusals amid suggestions decline” in visa grants.
that the government is moving to Melanie Macfarlane,
reduce student numbers before new Executive Director of away in hordes and so will the agen-
criteria are published. the International Student Educa- cies because they have other options,
Australia’s new Migration Strategy tion Agents Association (ISEAA) www. and it will be very hard to bring the
(see STM, Feb 2024, p.2), includes iseaa.org.au in Australia, highlighted quality students back into Australia.”
plans to replace the Genuine Tempo- a decline in approvals across Latin Contributors said that with the
rary Entrant Test with a new, as yet America, particularly Colombia. provider Assessment Levels for visa
unpublished, Genuine Student Test. Ian Pratt, Managing Director of Lexis processing due to reset in March, the
In the last half of 2023, the approval English https://lexisenglish.com, said, current unpredictability was causing
rate on offshore student visa applica- “To make matters all the more compli- deep confusion in the market.
tions for primary applicants was 77.7 cated, every provider seems to have Withdrawal of offers: Some univer-
per cent, according to Department of a list of nationalities that are being sities in Australia have also withdrawn
Home Affairs data, the lowest in the routinely rejected, and this seems to Confirmation of Enrolments (CoEs)
data set going back to 2005/06. For vary across different institutions.” to previously approved students who
India, the approval rate was 59.8 per Reasons for denials: Ian said that have not yet received a visa, including
cent; for Nepal it was 47.2; and for refusals often feature assertions the University of Wollongong and La
Colombia it was 82.6, down from 95.9 from the Department of Home Affairs Trobe University, citing policy changes
per cent in 2022/23. that students could take advantage and reduced likelihood of approval.
Stakeholders said approval rates of better economic conditions in “This is only being done to keep
have declined even further this year. Australia, despite acknowledgement up the risk rating of the institute,”
Nishidhar Borra, President of the that criteria have been met. said Nishidhar, adding it was not good
Association of Australian Educa- Melanie said that following the practice and that students were losing
tion Representatives in India (AAERI) Migration Strategy not a single law had application fees.
https://aaeri.org.in, told STM that been amended, but that it appears Referring to Canada’s cap on study
genuine students that have been vet- the government “is using a very blunt permits for the next two years, Mela-
ted and approved by good universities instrument to cut numbers rapidly nie said it was a drastic measure but
were being refused, and the Independ- without fully contemplating the long- at least provided stakeholders with
ent Tertiary Education Council of Aus- term effects of such radical change”. “surety and clarity”. She said that to
tralia www.iteca.edu.au complained of In a letter to Australian government attract the brightest and the best,
“startling” low approvals for VET study. ministers, AAERI said, “This is damag- Australia needed “much greater trans-
In Nepal Santosh Pyakurel, President ing Australia’s reputation, its brand parency of migration policies”. Read
of the National Educational Consultan- and its credibility. Students will turn the full story at: bit.ly/3OW1DxX

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