Breaking News: Australia Tightens Student Visa: Emphasis on English & Genuine Applicants

Australia’s recent tightening of student visa rules presents hurdles for Indian students seeking education opportunities. Here’s a breakdown of the key changes:

Higher English Language Proficiency:

• Temporary graduate visa applicants must achieve an IELTS score of 6.5, up from 6.
• Student visa applicants now require a minimum IELTS score of 6, raised from 5.5.

Genuine Student Test:

• Scrutiny of high-risk student applications will intensify.
• Evaluation factors include course progression, visa compliance, and immigration history.

Increased Financial Requirement:

• Indian students must demonstrate savings of $24,505, reflecting stricter financial scrutiny.
• These measures aim to curtail immigration levels while ensuring genuine student entry, aligning with the Australian government’s immigration strategy. 

Read the full article to understand the implications and what to do about it.

In what comes as a setback for Indian students, studying in Australia has become more difficult. In stark contrast to its previous welcoming approach, Australia has decided to clamp down on immigration, including limiting the number of students who come to pursue education. The government has done this by tightening its Visa requirements. The move comes in the wake of immigration hitting an all-time high, which is not surprising, considering that Australia has long been one of the most popular destinations for Indians. 

Stringent requirements to study abroad in Australia 

“If you plan to study in Australia, focus on mastery over English. The Australian government has raised the bar for English language fluency for student and graduate visas,” said a Reuters report. 

Under the new rules, students eyeing a temporary graduate visa will need to have an IELTS score of 6.5 instead of 6. Those aspiring for student visas will need to score 6 bands in IELTS, up from the previous 5.5. 

“The actions will continue to drive migration levels down while delivering on our commitments in the migration strategy to fix the broken system we inherited,” Reuters quoted Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil as saying. 

Genuine Student Test to identify genuine applicants 

Indian students will face further restrictions with regulations such as the genuine student test to identify those who move to Australia mainly for work. No further stay conditions will also be imposed on more visitor visas. 

These measures follow similar steps taken by Canada and the UK. 

According to India Today, the Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement for Indian students has been replaced by the Genuine Student requirement. The test has been designed to filter out applicants who might not be coming to Australia with genuine academic goals. 

Under the genuine student test, scrutiny of student applications falling in the high-risk category will be intensified. Such scrutiny will encompass factors such as course progression, adherence to visa conditions, and immigration history.

This will be applicable on visa applications submitted after March 23 this year. 

The financial requirement for international students has also been increased and Indian students will now have to furnish proof of savings amounting to $24,505.

Universities get stricter 

With rules getting tougher for international students, universities are also taking precautions in enrolment. They don’t have much of a choice. If universities enroll candidates who may be denied a student visa later, their ratings may be downgraded by the Department of Home Affairs, Australia. This poses a challenge for people with temporary visas, like tourist or bridge visas. Varsities may also deny admission to tourist visa holders.

Implications to Indian students 

The stricter measures will not only scale down admissions but also check immigration in response to the projections of the Australian government. Despite the immediate difficulties in securing admissions, several universities support the policies. Their main priority at the moment seems to be compliance with immigration policies by rejecting admissions for students seen as high risk. 

As principal universities of the country quickly tow the government line, private colleges, and educational institutions will also follow suit. 

Even though the priority of the Australian government is scaling down immigration, it does face the task of balancing the educational standards and aspirations of international students, a group they cannot completely forego. 

Visa rejections

Months before the implementation of the new rules, there was a 15% reduction in visa approvals, with one in five student visa applications being refused. According to sources, most of the rejected applications are from students from India, Pakistan, and Nepal. Australian visa grants also saw a 20% reduction in visa grants, on the lines of Canada and the UK. The new restrictions have been imposed even though the education sector is one of the primary sources of revenue for the Australian government. The pressure is such that there have been cases of universities asking students to withdraw their applications. 

This is closely connected with the risk categorization of Australian universities. 

According to ICEF Monitor, “The Australian government is somewhat more transparent with respect to the risk levels that are assessed for Australian institutions. The Department of Home Affairs relies on a system in which institutions are categorized into one of three evidence levels, where level 1 is least risk, level 2 is medium risk and level 3 is high risk.” Here, the term risk refers to the likelihood of the university accepting non-genuine students, based on recent data. 

Prepare well to succeed

The restrictions, though forbidding, are not meant to keep Indian students out completely. The revenue that Australia earns from Indian students is too important for the country to be ignored. However, from now quality will be crucial for those aspiring to study in Australia. Fluency in different aspects of English, reading, writing, and speaking will be essential. This would have to be combined with careful planning and thorough paperwork. With good mentorship and guidance, Australia is still within reach.