New rules for foreign student visas in Australia

Australia’s visa process is set for a major shake-up as part of a federal government policy reform. See what it means.

Australia’s visa process is set for a shake-up as international students will no longer be penalised for revealing they want to migrate to the country as part of their application.

The federal government reforms are part of a change from the Genuine Temporary ­Entrant requirement to a Genuine Student Test, after a push from the higher education sector to allow more students to study in high-­demand fields.

Under the current test, international students must submit a 300-word statement outlining their plans to study in Australia to prove they are a “genuine temporary entrant”.

Applications that explicitly state they want to stay in Australia are automatically removed.

This requirement will be axed as part of the transition to a Genuine Student Test.

The federal government reforms are part of a change from the Genuine Temporary ­Entrant requirement to a Genuine Student Test.

International Education Association of Australia chief executive Phil Honeywood said for too long Australia had “lost highly motivated young people” to countries like Canada who “actually encourage migration”.

“In contrast, through our Genuine Temporary Entrant Test, students have no choice but to provide false information if they really hope to stay here,” Mr Honeywood said.

“This means that from the outset of their study journey here they stress that their true intentions will be discovered by the authorities and they will be sent home.

“The Government is to be congratulated for finally recognising that skills in demand migration should be supported and not deported.”

Australia’s visa process is set for a major shake-up.

Shadow Minister Immigration and Citizenship Dan Tehan said under Labor, 1.5 million people would arrive over five years and there was “no plan” for where they would live or “how to manage the impact on government services and the environment”.

“As part of Labor’s Big Australia, there are more than 610,000 student visa holders in Australia, an increase of more than 273,000 visa holders from when the Coalition left government,” Mr Tehan said.

“Labor has rubber stamped more Covid work visas then were issued during the pandemic; and there are more than 75,000 failed asylum seekers in the country waiting to be deported.

“Labor’s solution to the multitude of problems on their watch is to make it more attractive and easier for international students to come to Australia and seek permanent residency.

“Labor always makes a mess of immigration. The Coalition wants a better Australia, not Labor’s big Australia.”

WHY ARE THERE CHANGES?

In March, a review of the migration system was released which warned that international students were not reaching their potential in the labour market after graduation under the current migration settings.

It meant that Australia “misses the opportunity to support and retain the best and brightest”.

However, under Labor’s new policy reform to the visa application, it will “favour permanent over temporary migration” and “create a nation of people with equal rights and a shared interest in our ­national success”.

International students could benefit from Labor’s visa policy reforms.

Earlier this year, Home Affairs Minister Clare O‘Neill said Australia’s migration system was “broken” and “backwards” and that international students were a “very important part of the puzzle”.

She said that while migration would never “substitute our focus on skilling up Australians” and was not the “full answer to any of these problems”, it was a part answer to all of them.

“Half of Australia’s citizens were born overseas, or have a parent born overseas … Our migration system is suffering from a decade of genuinely breathtaking neglect,” Ms O’Neill said.

“It is broken. It is failing our businesses, it is failing migrants themselves. And most importantly, it is failing Australians. That cannot continue. Because we face big national challenges that migration can help us resolve.

“Our economy is stuck in a productivity rut, and Australians are suffering because of it. Migration can help us change that.”

WHO WILL BE AFFECTED?

International students who are looking to study in Australia will benefit from the new changes to the visa application process.

The changes will mean overseas arrivals would become a more valuable asset to combat Australia’s crippling workforce shortages especially in the science, technology and allied health sectors.

“All the data indicates that young Australians are not enrolling in anywhere near the number of STEM skill related courses that our nation requires,” Mr Honeywood said.

“In contrast, many young people from our region already have the aptitude and education to support these industries here.”

Originally published as New rules for foreign student visas in Australia