Australian migration is often one of the things that comes into the minds of the many foreign students that are enrolled in the country. For them, it is a once in a lifetime opportunity that they can not easily pass. However, it seems that this opportunity has become harder to reach in recent years.
As the Australian government has decided to further improve its immigration policies, it has laid down new rules to follow. However, some of these rules have greatly affected the number of foreign students intending to enroll in the country, which has lead to the concerns of many educators.
One of the changes implemented to student migration at the start of 2010 was an increase of necessary student funds. From the minimum required amount of AU$ 12,000, this has been increased to AU$ 18,000. Students are now also required to put forth more evidence that they have sufficient access to these funds. However, the Australian government said that students who do not have sufficient money in their bank accounts to meet the new requirement can still augment their funds through other means, such as a loan from a reputable institution, or part time work income.
Another major area of concern for many incoming foreign students was the changes made on the assessment procedures. These were inline with the government's effort to realign the orientation of the skilled migration program to target the occupations that are mostly needed by the country, as opposed to that of lower level applications. However, many foreign students have voiced out their concerns that these new levels will actually make it harder for them to to meet up the demands of visa application.
One of the major assessment tools that have been greatly revamped was the English proficiency exams. According to Immigration Minister Chris Evans, this was done in response to the number of visa recipients that were unable to secure jobs due to low communication skills. However, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship said that it will allow students to take their English proficiency exams after they have lodged their application; though, they added, it is still encouraged to take the exams prior to application.
Students are also very much concerned about the requirements presented for applying for a working visa after finishing their studies. Before, the students only need to present his qualifications in order to get approval on their visa. Now, priority is given to those who have secured a job offer before application. Also, students who have no standing offer are only given two years to find a job in the field that they have studied in, else they will be required to leave Australia.
Since most of these changes have only been implemented within the last two years, they has yet to show their full effects. However, as early as now, many foreign students have begun making the necessary preparations to adapt.
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