1.1.5 Students
Objectives
- Enable international students to come to Australia for the purpose of full-time study.
- Provide an efficient service that facilitates ease of access to visas for genuine students, while ensuring the integrity of Australia’s immigration policies and procedures.
Description
The structure of the Student visa programme broadly reflects Australia’s different education sectors. Student visas are issued in the categories listed in table 23 below. For each category of visa there are criteria that must be met, including students’ financial capacities and English-language proficiency. The level of evidence required depends on the visa category and nationality.
All applicants are assigned an assessment level on the basis of their migration compliance. Assessment Level 1 is assigned to nationalities/ visa categories that represent the lowest immigration risk in the programme, while Assessment Level 5 represents the highest risk.
Performance
Key indicators of the effectiveness of the student visa programme include:
- growth in student visa approvals and student numbers
- increase in visa approval rates
- diversity of student visa source countries
- reduction in processing times
- improved compliance with visa requirements
- enhanced client services.
|
Visa statistics |
2005-06 |
2006-07 |
Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Offshore grants |
129 175 |
167 129 |
29.38 |
|
Onshore grants1 |
61 499 |
61 463 |
-0.06 |
|
Total |
190 674 |
228 592 |
19.89 |
The department granted 228 592 student visas in 2006-07. This figure does not include Permission to Work or Change of Provider visas. This was an increase of 19.89 per cent over the 2005-06 figure of 190 674.
The department granted 167 129 offshore visas in 2006-07, an increase of 29.38 per cent compared to 2005-06. During the same period, the number of onshore visas granted decreased marginally by -0.06 per cent, from 61 499 to 61 463 (not including visas granted for permission to work, or to allow students to change providers).
The Change of Provider visa is being abolished from 1 July 2007.
In 2006-07 the department granted visas to students from 191 different countries, compared to 189 in 2005-06.
All sectors recorded positive growth in grants in 2006-07, see table 23.
There was a significant increase in the number of visas granted in vocational education and training – from 29 942 in 2005-06 to 43 404 in 2006-07. There were also increases in the ELICOS sector (from 26 683 to 30 115) and university education, including the higher education and postgraduate research sectors up from 99 242 to 116 631 in 2006-07. The schools sector recorded the smallest increase, from 12 659 to 16 224.
Table 28 provides a ‘snapshot’ of the estimated number of people in Australia on student visas (including students and their families) at the end of each quarter for the past six years.
At 30 June 2007 there were 248 814 people in Australia on student visas, a 19.6 per cent increase compared to the previous year, while at 31 March 2007 figures showed there was a record number of 266 302 student visa holders.
Compliance
One of the main goals of the student visa programme is to support the growth of Australia’s international education market, while minimising the number of students not complying with their visa conditions.
These levels of non-compliance are measured by:
- visa cancellation rates
- number of student visa holders who become unlawful
- protection visa applications by student visa holders
- the level of fraud by student visa applicants.
Since the reform of the student visa legislation in 2001, there has been a steady improvement in compliance levels generally.
During 2006-07, protection visa applications increased 87.5 per cent from 208 in 2005-06 to 390 in 2006-07. The rate of PV applications compared with student visa grants now stands at 0.17 per cent.
Student visa cancellations in 2006-07 were lower than the previous year (6441 compared to 6983 in 2005-06). The proportion of cancellations compared to grants declined from 3.64 per cent in 2005-06 to 2.82 per cent in 2006-07.
The number of student visa holders who became unlawful in 2006-07 was 3933, which is a significant increase on the previous year (1959 in 2005-06).
Although there has been an increase in the ‘unlawful in Australia’ rate (1.32 per cent in 2006-07), the rate remains low as a proportion of the total number of students in Australia.
Assessment level review
Risk assessment levels apply to all student visa applications, based on nationality and education sector. These levels are based on a detailed analysis of the immigration compliance data for student visa holders from specific countries.
These assessment levels are reviewed regularly. The latest review was undertaken in 2007 with the resulting changes to assessment levels being made on 14 May 2007.
As a result of the review, 27 countries had their risk rating improved in one or more sectors, totalling 57 assessment level improvements.
Students from 62 countries are now eligible to lodge student visa applications over the Internet through the Student eVisa system.
One country’s assessment level was downgraded, while another 10 countries were put on notice that if results did not improve next year, their assessment levels may be downgraded.
Adjustments to migration regulations
During the past 18 months, the department has consulted with the Department of Education, Science and Training’s (DEST) evaluation of the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) legislative framework. These consultations culminated in the development of a revised national code of practice for registration authorities and providers of education and training to overseas students. The National Code of Practice 2007 will come into effect on 1 July 2007, along with consequential changes to the Student Visa legislation and policy.
The amendments in the Migration Regulations relate to:
- changes to the welfare arrangements for students under the age of 18
- removal of Change of Provider condition 8206, as well as Change of Provider applications and compliance activities
- changes to student visa condition 8202 (attendance and course progress) and the cancellation processes associated with breaching this condition
- clarification of policy concerning students who defer or suspend their studies.
Another change, made via Gazette Notice 442 in January 2007, allows applicants from 14 countries to provide an Internet-based TOEFL (Testing of English as a Foreign Language) result as evidence of English language proficiency because the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is not available in those countries.
During the year the department held extensive consultation with the education industry to seek views on offering alternate English language testing arrangements to overcome the shortage of IELTS testing places and generate market competition.
Defective auto-cancellation of student visas
The department has determined that the pro-forma cancellation notice sent to student visa holders from 19 July 2005 to 5 January 2007, which resulted in the automatic cancellation of some visas, was defective and therefore invalid.
Approximately 3100 clients have been identified as affected by the defective cancellation notice. The department has corrected its records, notified affected clients and is considering affected cases as they come to notice on a case-by-case basis.
Consultations
The department consults widely on the student visa programme with education providers, international education bodies, and student representative groups. Industry input is critical to ensuring the programme remains responsive to its dual purposes of maximising Australia’s competitive advantage while maintaining integrity. The department participated in a range of conferences, workshops, and seminars arranged by education peak bodies, DEST and state education authorities. These peak bodies also attended the department’s Departmental Industry Stakeholder Consultation Group and had regular meetings with the department.
The department participated in DEST’s information sessions on the National Code 2007 which were attended by more than 2500 people.
Online visa services
The Internet-based student visa facility offers improved access to services for many student visa applicants both offshore and in Australia. All student visa holders can apply for further student visas online in Australia to continue their studies.
From 1 November 2006, the department extended the BPay option to online lodged Permission to Work applications to make available another payment method to student visa holders.
In Australia
Electronic lodgement of student visa applications by students in Australia continued to grow from 27 405 in 2005-06 to 32 721 in 2006-07 (19.4 per cent increase). This figure does not include electronic Permission to Work (ePTW) visa applications lodged by students in Australia. A total of 68 665 ePTW applications were lodged in Australia in 2006-07. The take-up rate for ePTW grants has decreased from 66.66 per cent in 2005-06, to 62.85 per cent in 2006-07.
Electronic lodgement of permission to work and onshore student visa applications is promoted by the department’s contact centres and through peak bodies.
Outside Australia
The number of Assessment Level 1 students applying offshore via the Internet continued to grow in 2006-07, with 42 196 visa applications, compared to 41 510 in 2005-06. However the rate of eligible applicants using this facility decreased to 87.24 per cent from 89.82 per cent in 2005-06.
The number of students in the PRC, India, Indonesia and Thailand who lodge their applications via the Internet continued to climb in 2006-07 as the trial of an online service for these four markets continued.
Across the four countries in 2006-07, 54.82 per cent of eligible applicants applied online, up from 42.09 per cent in 2005-06.
The department granted 38 432 visas to students using the service in 2006-07.
|
Countries |
2005-06 |
2006-07 |
|---|---|---|
|
PRC |
7 286 |
14 894 |
|
India |
6 943 |
19 703 |
|
Thailand |
2 148 |
3 330 |
|
Indonesia |
214 |
505 |
|
Total |
16 591 |
38 432 |
The uptake of the service for the PRC and India was particularly strong in 2006-07. Almost 54.95 per cent of all visa applications from the PRC were lodged online. In India the rate was 62.22 per cent (up from 51.16 per cent in 2005-06).
These initiatives have improved client service and delivered greater consistency in decision-making, while enabling overseas posts to focus resources on integrity checking.
Through the trial, the department also fostered a collaborative relationship with education agents overseas and registered migration agents in Australia. Students in the four countries can lodge their application through agents who have been given access by the department to the Assessment Level 2 – 4 eVisa facility. The agents can also manage their students’ applications through the visa application process.
Student guardian visas
Student guardian visas allow parents or relatives of overseas students aged under 18 to accompany the students to Australia to support them while studying. In certain limited circumstances, the visa may also provide for someone to accompany a student aged over 18 years.
In 2006-07, there was a small increase in Student Guardian visa grants with 1662 visas issued compared to 1135 in 2005-06. The majority of the grants for this visa went to Korean nationals (43.92 per cent of total grants), followed by PRC nationals (25.87 per cent).
