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Australia News

AUSTRALIA EASES STUDENT VISA LAWS FOR HIGH RISK COUNTRIES
Australia has eased the financial requirements for international students applying from ‘high risk’ countries like India, China and Pakistan.

International students from the so-called high risk countries would not be assessed according to the stringent Assessment Level 4 and 5 criteria now. The changes have been made to implement the recommendations made by the ‘Review of the Student Visa Assessment Level Framework 2013′ and would come into effect from March 22, according to a news report.

“This is certainly good news, especially for Indian students who can now realise their dream of getting quality education in Australia,” said a Melbourne-based education and immigration consultant Jag Khairra.

“The change in assessment levels for countries like India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan will help boost number of students from these countries,” he added.

The direct implication of the March 22 changes would be that the international students from countries like India, China and Pakistan would have to show lesser amount of money in order to gain entry to Australia. These students would now be required to provide evidence of funds for 12 months’ study in Australia instead of 18 months.

“This would mean students from countries like India and Pakistan would be able to apply for a student visa with up to A USD 20,000 (approximately Rs 1.1 million) less in the bank,” said a Sydney-based vocational college owner, Moninder Singh.

This announcement is likely to be welcomed by the Vocational Education and Training (VET) and English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) sector institutes who have been affected by a significant downturn in the number of international student enrolments.

“The VET sector, which has been struggling from the last three-four years, shall see the revival in the education industry,” Khairra said.

The Australian VET sector providers experienced a dramatic drop in the number of enrolments from India after the alleged racist attacks on south Asian students in 2009. The plummeting graph became much worse as the Labour government decided to tighten the visa laws for students from higher Assessment Level countries (e.g. India, China, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, etc.) studying in the VET institutes.

Even before the latest reforms, Australian has been gaining traction as a favoured destination for Indian students wishing to study overseas. The overall number of Indians applying for Australian student visa has experienced a dramatic increase (115 per cent) in the past one year or so. The visa grant from India has also gone up in three figures.

Even though the number of Indian students getting Australian visa is very small compared to the pre-2009 figures, the South Asian country continues to be the second-largest source country for international student enrollments in Australia

Canada News

CANADA ANNOUNCES NEW REGULATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Source: http://www.cic.gc.ca

CHANGES BROADEN THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN CANADA

The new rules that will come into effect from June 1, 2014 will strengthen Canada’s reputation as an education destination internationally. The additional operational measures to support the implementation of the new rules are expected to be announced close to June 1, 2014.

Current Regulations	New Regulations, as of June 1, 2014
Applicants must show that they intend to pursue studies in Canada when applying for a study permit.	Applicants must enrol in and continue to pursue studies in Canada. Failure to do so could lead to removal from Canada.
Applicants may apply for a study permit to pursue studies at any educational institution in Canada.	Study permits will only be issued to successful applicants who are pursuing studies at an educational institution that has been designated to receive international students.
Study permit holders pursuing studies at publicly-funded and certain privately-funded post-secondary institutions must apply for an Off-Campus Work Permit to be able to work up to 20 hours per week off-campus during the academic session and full-time during scheduled breaks.	Study permits will automatically authorize the holder to work off-campus for up to 20 hours per week during the academic session and full-time during scheduled breaks without the need to apply for a separate work permit. The study permit holder must be pursuing academic, vocational or professional training of six months or more that leads to a degree, diploma or certificate at a designated institution.
Any international student can apply for a Co-Op Work Permit if a co-op placement is an integral element of their course of study.	Only international students who are pursuing studies at a secondary school or at a designated institution may apply for a Co-Op Work Permit if a co-op placement is an integral part of their course of study.
Visitors may not apply for a study permit from within Canada	Visitors may apply for a study permit from withinCanada if they are at the pre-school, primary or secondary level, are on an academic exchange or a visiting student at a designated learning institution, or have completed a course or program of study that is a condition for acceptance at a designated learning institution.
International students who have completed their studies but hold valid study permits can remain legally inCanada until the expiration of their study permit.	A study permit becomes invalid 90 days following the completion of studies unless the foreign national also possesses a valid work permit or another authorization to remain in Canada.
There are no references in existing regulations that clearly state that Registered Indians who are also foreign nationals are exempt from the requirement to obtain a study permit.	Registered Indians who are also foreign nationals may study in Canada without a study permit as they have the right of entry into Canada.
Study permit holders are not authorized to work after the completion of their studies while awaiting approval of their Post-Graduation Work Permit	Eligible international graduates will be authorized to work full-time after their studies are completed until a decision is made on their application for a Post-Graduation Work Permit.

New Zealand News

New Zealand allows students greater work rights
In an attempt to attract a greater share of the world’s international students, New Zealand education minister Steven Joyce and immigration minister Michael Woodhouse have announced reforms of New Zealand’s rules governing students’ work rights while in New Zealand.
They also announced a new ‘streamlined and prioritised visa processing’ system which will make it easier for some students to apply for visas.
Mr Joyce said international education…contributes NZ$2.6bn a year to our economy and 28,000 jobs for New Zealanders plus it helps build strong linkages with the countries that are our trading future’. He added ‘Competition for international students is intensifying around the world and it’s important that we stay competitive’.

Students can work during all scheduled course breaks
The main changes are

Students studying full-time will be allowed to work during all scheduled course breaks(previously they were only allowed to work in the summer holidays)
Doctoral and masters students will be allowed to work full-time
English language students will be allowed to work part-time

Mr Joyce said that the changes were expected to result in a net increase in the number of jobs available to New Zealanders. He said that, while students would take some jobs that might otherwise have been taken by New Zealanders, this would be ‘more than offset by the growth in the international education industry and the jobs it provides’.
Mr Woodhouse announced that the lowest category of education college –Category 4 colleges, would no longer be allowed to teach overseas students. He said ‘while we want more students to come to our shores to study, our focus has to be on providing them with the highest quality education New Zealand has to offer’.