Aus to tighten visa rules for students

Basant Kumar Mohanty

Melbourne, Aug 21 (PTI) Faced with sharp increase in
student visa applications, Australia is set to tighten its
visa policy to ensure bonafide and genuine candidates come to
the country for higher studies.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship is
strengthening checks on student visa applications to stamp
out fraud and ensure that students have the financial capacity
to live and study in Australia, an official statement said.

The measure is likely to affect the mobility of
international students who come here in the name of pursuing
education but end up working as unskilled labourers.

Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Chris Evans
said that applications for student visas grew by 20 per cent
to 3,62,193 in 2008-09 while about 28,000 student visas were
refused.

"While overall student visa compliance rates remain
high, there are elements of concern within this large
caseload," the minister said in the statement.

The measures will address the documents related fraud
and other issues like identification of financial capacity.
The measures include upgrading interview programme to check
Visa access through agents who are suspected of fraud or
inactivity.

The minister said these measures are consistent with
those used by other countries that receive large numbers of
student visa applications, such as the United States.

"The message is clear: genuine international students
remain welcome in Australia, but we will not tolerate fraud in
the student visa program," the minister said.

There are about 97,000 Indian students pursuing studies
in education in Australia. Many of them lack financial support
and engage themselves in courses like hairdressing, cookery to
go for part-time unskilled work in various units here. PTI BKM
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