Immigration to Australia

Although numbers vary from year to year, it is estimated that upwards of 500,000 overseas students come to Australia to study at universities, technical colleges and private schools. This has made education one of Australia's largest exports and easily the fastest growing over the last decade.

The largest group of overseas students is from China and the second largest is from India. Students go to Australia because of its proximity to Asia, its high standard of living, its English speaking institutions and the strong reputation of its top universities. A degree from an institution like the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne or the Australian National University is extremely well regarded in Asian countries.

The typical experience for these students is generally pleasant and they are generally very satisfied with the standard of education they receive; but thousands of students find themselves profoundly unsatisfied with their wider experience in Australia. This is because they often fail to meet many Australians and also find themselves unprepared for the financial and cultural differences they encounter in Australia.

Mixing with the locals

Students from China, Vietnam, Korea and other non-English speaking countries often come to study in Australia but leave after a few years, without really meeting and making friends with the locals. There are two big reasons for this: (1) Australians, although friendly, are not likely to reach out to foreigners and make friends and (2) because there are so many foreign students studying in Australia, people find it very easy to mix with a friendly face from their home nation.

Both of these issues can be overcome. Australians may not be outgoing towards foreigners but if the foreigner makes the effort they will find that Australians are actually very keen to make friends with people from diverse cultures.

Insufficient information

Students from Asian countries generally don't get much advice on cultural and academic issues they may encounter in Australia. Their own governments give them very little advice and the Australian government provides almost no information, apart from promotional tourism info. Universities are also remiss in this regard and give virtually no advice on how to live in Australia, save for some mundane practical information related to enrolment and study. As a result students often find their first few months in Australia somewhat confusing and often haven't even been told which side of the road people drive on in Australia (the left).

In 2009 there were a series of widely reported assaults on Indian students studying in Melbourne. They were portrayed in the Indian media as racially motivated and many students considering studying in Melbourne consequently decided to study in other cities or not come to Australia at all. Although these events were horrible, they were blown out of proportion by Indian news services. There were a handful of attacks but it was discovered that they were not linked and were generally not racially motivated. They were largely just ordinary crimes, the type of which occur every day in Australia. But it is somewhat ironic that rates of such crimes are lower in Australia than almost any country on earth and certainly much lower than India.

Australia remains a very good country in which to study or to merely visit and education will likely make up even more of Australia's service economy in years to come.

It's foreign students no-more as an immigration policy declared a cut to Brisbane's student immigration to Australia. The country's two parties, Labor and Liberal National Party, have been arguing over which factors greatly affects the continuous increase in Australia's migration. After a long road of talk, they end up with a conclusion stating that the number of international students entering the country is the largest contributor to net overseas migration.

It is a fact that Brisbane holds 80% of Queensland's $2.7 billion international student industry which is a part of an international education sector that generated $18.6 billion in the 2009 export earnings. If we'll look into it, it's Queensland that sets the high jump in overseas students since 2004 – showing a number of Immigration Department figures of more than doubled from 25,231 to 52,347 in 2009.

However, some sources reported that as the number of overseas university students grow up, foreign students heading for TAFE colleges had been "tanked". In year 2008-2009, the total number of Australian student visa holders had decreased from 320,368 to 269,826 in 2009-2010. While enrollments on higher education dropped from 133,990 to 118,541. According to Glenn Withers, the chief executive of Universities Australia, the issue of international students' slowing number had already been experienced before. He then advised the two major parties to be more careful in their plan of cutting the number of foreign students.

"A severe drop in international student numbers would cost many Australians their jobs," He said. "For example, according to Access Economics estimates, a 50 percent drop in international student numbers represents 62,000 jobs gone - and this process is already happening. Many of these jobs are in marginal and regional seats where universities and colleges are a major community presence," Withers explained. Aside from this, the Australian Tourism Export Council has also cautioned the two parties to consider the economic consequences, especially if they wish to continue the cut to international student visa numbers.

As stated by ATEC managing director Matt Hingerty, more than 80% of all foreign students attract at least one other overseas visitor during their stay to Australia. "Any changes to international student visa numbers need to be made with the knowledge of the flow-on effects this will have on other sectors of the economy," he uttered in a statement. But it seems that the opposition group is still on their way to continue the plan. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott announced that there will be no cuts to Australian skilled  migration categories, only to overseas student immigrants. He recently introduced a plan stating that they will reduce Australia's net overseas migration to 170,000 people each year by 2013.

Along with Abbott, Tony Burke, government's Minister for Sustainable Population, also unveiled a cut to foreign students, especially on hairdressing and chef courses. This is due to an evidence explaining that some overseas students used student visas just to have a permanent citizenship. "Some of them weren't being used to fill work shortages, they were being used to get cheaper workers. There were some overseas students coming, not for the purpose of getting an Australian education, but as a pathway for permanent residency," Mr. Burke explained.

Australia is such a wonderful country. It is no wonder that people may want to immigrate to the country, or even just to spend a few days’ visit in it. However, it is not always easy to get a visa and permission to enter Australia. You need a very excellent guide who will more or less walk you through the process and prepare you for actual application of a visa.

Selecting a Visa

The first step to applying for a visa for immigration to Australia is to know what kind of visa you will be applying for. There are several visas available for entry to Australia, each of them meant for a specific type of applicant. These visas include:

Worker visa

The worker visa itself has different types of visas available. There is a specific visa for doctors or nurses, for people who are sponsored by employers in Australia, as well as seamen and airmen entering Australia.

Family visa

This is for people who are moving into Australia or just visiting the country via petition by family members that are already permanent residents of Australia. This is also for people who have married an Australian citizen and would wish to move to the country. These visas are just but a few of the many specific visas available for immigrating to Australia. Find out which of these visas you are most likely eligible for, and then start applying.

Start Applying

Actual application for the visa can be facilitated through the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs’ website. They have application forms available at the site. You only need to fill it up and follow the instructions indicated. You may think your application is done after this, but no, not yet. You have to send in supporting documents that will prove your eligibility and qualification to move to Australia. There are different documents that may be required depending on your application and the type of visa you are applying for.

For example, if you are applying for a student visa, you will need to send in proof of your enrollment in an Australian university. This includes your Letter of Offer and your Confirmation of Enrollment. These are documents provided by the University after you have completed all the necessary steps for enrollment. On the other hand, if you are married to an Australian and are moving to the country as part of the marriage, you have to provide supporting evidence of your relationship and marriage. These requirements would include your marriage contract, proofs of joint accounts such as electric bills, water bills, and a joint bank account, among others.

Being third in the World Health Organization’s list of countries with the best performance in health care, Australia is very strict about health issues concerning people entering their borders. As part of your application, you would need to complete a medical checkup carried out by the Australian embassy’s accredited physicians in every country. After these steps are carried out, it’s purely a waiting game. However, relax. As long as you have been thorough in completing the requirements and submitting the necessary documents, you will be getting a visa and move to Australia in no time.

How do the new student visa integrity measures affect international students? What are the Changes? The main changes are around showing sufficient funds to study in Australia. There are two separate measures in relation to this:

1.      Funds for living costs have increased from $1,000 per month to $1,500 per month. As a result, the amount of funds you need to show for a student visa extension may be much higher than you needed to show for your initial student visa

2.      Students must show that they can actually access the funds shown. For example, if relying on bank accounts held by a relative, the Department of Immigration (DIAC) will often ask that you show that funds have actually been transferred to your account. If relying on a loan, DIAC may require you to show that the funds have been released to a bank account over which you have access.

However, it's not all bad news. People undertaking research qualifications (ie masters by research and PhD) will now be at either Assessment Level 1 or 2 (Assessment Level 1 being the best). This will mean that the amount of funds you need to show might not be as high as for other types of qualifications. Can subject choice improve your chances of immigration?

At the moment, if you have an occupation on the Critical Skills List (CSL), your application will be processed significantly faster than if you are not on the CSL. Examples of occupations on the CSL include secondary school teachers, nurses, engineers and accountants (provided you either have a minimum 7 in IELTS or have completed a professional year).

However, the rules for skilled migration are due to change significantly. The Department of Immigration is concerned that students have been choosing courses which are good for immigration, not in occupations which they intend to work in the future. There has been a significant growth in the vocational sector in particular - in courses such as hairdressing and cookery - which have until now been good for migration. In addition, the Department of Immigration is giving higher and higher priority to employer sponsored applications. As a result, the best advice is to do a course which you are genuinely interested in and in which you have a good chance of obtaining employment in Australia. When is the new Skilled Occupations List coming out? When will it come into effect?

Skills Australia has reported to the Department of Immigration on their recommendations for the new list on 30 April 2010. However, the suggested list was not released at this time. The Department of Immigration has announced that the list will be published in May 2010. The list is due to come into effect in "mid 2010". Many have speculated that this means 1 July 2010, but there has been no confirmation of the exact date. It is possible that the list will come into effect at the same time as it is announced.

The current Skilled Occupations List has some 400 occupations on it. Our best guess is that the new list will have around 200 occupations on it. Skills Australia produced a list called the specialised occupations list. It is possible that this will form the basis of the new skilled occupations list. The specialized occupations list included the following types of occupations:

There are only a few trade occupations on the list, and the future of students completing vocational courses in Australia is far from clear. What happens if I am not on the new Skilled Occupations List?

If your occupation is not on the new SOL, it is still possible to apply for:

Unless you had already applied for a graduate skilled visa as of the 8th of February 2010, you will only be able to apply for the following types of visa if you are on the new list:

So you should still be able to apply for a graduate skilled visa after your course is finished, providing you meet the necessary requirements, even if you are not on the new SOL. Once on the graduate skilled visa, you have full work rights for 18 months. Provided you find either an employer or state government willing to sponsor you during this time, you can still apply for permanent residence. How are the points calculated?

The main elements of the current points test are:

1.      Occupation: either 40, 50 or 60 points
2.      Age: 30 if you are under 30, down to 15 if you are between 40 and 44
3.      English language ability: 25 for IELTS 7 minimum, or 15 if 6 minimum
4.      Study in Australia: 5 for a course taking 2 years, up to 25 if you have completed a PhD in Australia
5.      Work experience in Australia: 10 for working in your occupation for a year or 10 for completing a professional year
6.      Skilled Spouse: 5 points

7.      Language other than English: 5 if you have passed the NAATI test as a translator or interpreter, or have a degree taught in the language
8.      State Nomination: 10 points

Note that the Department of Immigration is conducting a review of the points test. Recommendations are due in June 2010, and the following changes have been discussed:

What are the specific procedures for general skilled migration application?

There are generally 3-4 main stages of the application:

1.      Skills Assessment: this is a process of having your qualifications assessed, and in some cases you also need to provide evidence of English and work experience. The exact procedure depends on your occupation. Generally this takes 2-3 months to complete and you must have a completed skills assessment to apply for a permanent general skilled migration visa

2.      Skilled Graduate Subclass 485 visa: because the skills assessment can take some time, many students will need to apply for a 485 visa to ensure that they have enough time to complete the necessary processes to apply for their permanent skilled visas. A 485 visa requires you to have completed a qualification taking 2 years of study in Australia, 6 minimum for IELTS and to have lodged your application for skills assessment.

3.      State Nomination: This is an optional process, but may be necessary if you do not otherwise have sufficient points to qualify. It can also significantly speed up processing of your application. Generally, the state will require a skills assessment and evidence of English. States have different criteria, and some also require evidence of funds to settle in Australia, work experience in the state, and in some cases study or residence in the state.

4.      Permanent Skilled Application: for this you'll need a completed skills assessment, evidence of English, health and police checks and evidence of your studies in Australia. This stage is currently relatively fast if you have a CSL occupation, but can take 2-3 years if you are not on the CSL.

What is the minimum required mark in the dreaded IELTS test?

This will depend on which visa type you are trying to apply for:

Most types of application require you to show the level of English at the date of application - so you need to plan ahead and make sure you don't leave your English test till the last minute.

Note also that some skills assessing authorities require a higher level of English. For example, accountants will need to show that they have at least 7 in all 4 components of the Academic IELTS from 1 July 2010.
What are the compulsory requirements for student visas and the Do's and Do-not's of a student visa?

There are a number of very important student conditions you need to comply with. Non-compliance with these conditions can result in cancellation of you student visa: