Australia streamlines visa process for overseas student on advanced diploma

CANBERRA, May 26 (Xinhua) — In an effort to boost overseas student enrolment in Australian higher education system, the Australian government has decided to extend streamlined visa processing (SVP) arrangements to students enrolled in advanced diploma level courses at low immigration risk providers.

Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Scott Morrison and Minister for Education Christopher Pyne made the announcement in a joint statement released on Monday.

Morrison said the streamlining of the visa application process for advanced diploma courses will benefit eligible students through simpler and faster visa processing, and is in addition to existing arrangements for eligible higher education sector students. “This will enable eligible education providers in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector and higher education sector to directly access SVP. This will make study in Australia even more attractive to overseas students, while at the same time ensuring that immigration risk is appropriately managed,” Morrison said.

Pyne said that these changes will substantially benefit Australia’s high-quality VET and higher education sectors, supporting the sustainable growth of Australia’s international education industry while providing a vital boost to the economy. “The number of international students seeking to study in Australia continues to rebound positively, with an increase of over 27 percent in the number of visas granted to offshore applicants in the 2013-14 program year,”Pyne said. “Extending SVP arrangements will help capitalize on these trends, reducing red tape and helping to attract further students from overseas.”

Invitations to participate will be sent to eligible providers in the second half of 2014. Subject to relevant legislative change under the stewardship of the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Senator Michaelia Cash, the government proposes to implement this extension by early 2015.

Source: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=220531