8/3/2019 Major Changes to Australian International Student Visas

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Major Changes to Australian International Student Visas

More Work Rights – Less Automatic Student Visa Cancellations

The overseas student sector of Australian education is one of Australia’s largestexport sectors, worth AUD 16.4 billion dollars in 2010-11. The benefits this sectorprovides to Australia are enormous, contributing a large source of income to

Australian education institutions and local communities from money spent on

accommodation and other living costs by overseas students who have been granteda student visa.

In recognition of the importance of international students to businesses and localcommunities the Australian government will be implementing therecommendations of the Knight Review (www.immigov.au/students/knight/) to

enable Australian Educational institutions to remain competitive in theinternational market.

The earliest changes will commence on 5 November 2011, under stage 1 of theKnight Review changes. A significant benefit to many international students willbe a reduction in the financial requirements that must be established making

education in Australia far more accessible for overseas students from higher risk 

countries such as India, Bangladesh and China, to be granted a student visa.

For internationals students in Australia that graduate in bachelors, masters and PhD

courses form Australian universities, the Australian immigration department alsoplans to create a 4 year post graduation working visa pathway which, should giveinternational students meaningful opportunities to obtain employment and develop

Australian permanent residence pathways also.

Plans by the government to enable university graduates in under a student visa 

access to a post-study work visa that will allow them to remain and work inAustralia for up to four years after graduation, More flexible work entitlements arealso proposed which will permit to work up to 40 hours per fortnight as opposed to

the current 20 hours a week limitation

Another beneficial proposed change is the abolishment of automatic visacancellation. This represents a significant change in the Australian government’sattitude towards, and treatment of, international students in Australia. As

previously commented on, the automatic cancellation process of student visa forinternational students in Australia is unfair and draconian. This change is expectedto be implemented early 2012 and is welcomed.

The Australian newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, recently reported that over 15,000Australian international student visas were cancelled last year alone and over 3,000

international students in Australia currently face deportation. Many international

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students are also returning to Australia after holidays abroad only to find out thattheir student visa was cancelled without notice while out of the country. Thesestudents are denied entry to Australia and sent back to their country of origin.

If an international student has their Australian visa cancelled the consequencesinclude potential detention, deportation, loss of work rights, denial of further studyin their degree programmes and loss of Australian permanent residence and

citizenship pathways.

 If your student visa is at risk of cancellation, or you require Australianimmigration information or assistance related to your study in Australia please

 contact either Stewart Coulson or Ray Turner by phoning +61 (0)2 9264 4654 or

emailing us at info@tcilawyers.com.au

This article should not be taken as legal advice and cannot be relied upon as a complete or accurate representation of the

law. It is meant to be indicative only and should be seen as a general informative guide to the visa application processes.