Student life in Australia

Promoting safe Australia, immigration minister heads to India

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 09:51:00 +0000

Australia sure is going all out to win back the confidence of Indians, specially students, after the spate of attacks on members of the community in the past few months. Immigration Minister Chris Evans is the latest to head to New Delhi to promote his country as a “safe destination”.
Evans, arriving in the Indian capital Sunday night, aims to reinforce that Australia is a “welcoming and safe destination for Indian students and migrants”. At the same time, he concedes there are problems, especially in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector that need to be jointly tackled by both countries.
Over 50 Indian students were injured in attacks in Australian cities, most of them being in and around Melbourne, in the last few months, threatening the country’s second largest education market.
In 2008, there were 435,263 international students from 200 countries enrolled in Australian educational institutes led by China and India.
The minister acknowledged that the VET sector has problems and it hasn’t kept pace with the needs of students. Since 2005, the number of overseas students in vocational training has leapt from 65,000 to almost 174,000.
“It is fair to say that the growth in the VET sector has seen some of the problems develop because some providers have not provided as good a quality education as we were hopeful. Secondly, we have had more Indian students with less financial resources, who have been forced to work more hours than they should be and perhaps live in inappropriate suburbs,” Evans told IANS in an interview.
Asked about international students being duped by immigration agents making false promises, Evans said: “We are going to tackle that and the prime minister’s task force has been in part focusing on it.”
He added: “We have registration of migration agents in Australia and that is regulated. There is an onus upon education institutions to use only agents with integrity, but there is also a responsibility upon governments to provide better protection.”
In recent years, there has been an increase in people doing short courses on skills like hairdressing and cooking.
“We need to make some policy adjustments in this country to make sure we are not providing perverse incentives. We want the best Indian students coming for top quality educational outcomes in both higher education and the VET sectors,” emphasised Evans.
“We have heard stories of students borrowing being in debt and that put a whole lot of other pressures on them and that doesn’t allow them to focus on their studies. On July 1, I increased the English language threshold levels for students applying onshore as we have found that those with relevant skills and good English make successful migrants,” Evans told IANS.
While some students want the number of hours increased, Australia is not likely to review the 20 hours work per week regulation on the student visa.
“Increasing working hours would undermine the core reason for which the visa was granted and that is to study. We don’t want to have a situation where the primary purpose is work …,” he explained.
Australia has seen a spiralling growth in the number of Indians coming to settle, study and do business. India is the largest source of general skilled migrants to Australia, the second-largest source, after China, of overseas students and the second-largest source, after Britain, of temporary business visa grants.
Reiterating that “the overwhelming story of Indian migration is a success story”, the minister said: “We see India as a long-term source of skilled labour and migrants to this country.
Evans is to meet a number of Indian officials, including Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi.

Visa crackdown will hit numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 09:50:00 +0000

Source: The Australian 22july 09

THE education export industry has to find a new way to prosper now that the government has made it harder for would-be migrants to use study as a route to permanent residency, social researcher Bob Birrell says.

In the Monash University journal People and Place, Dr Birrell said the industry, whose phenomenal growth had been helped by foreign students seeking permanent residency as skilled migrants, had reached a crossroads.
Dr Birrell is co-director of Monash's Centre for Population and Urban Research, People and Place's publisher.
He said a change to the skilled migration rules in December last year, coupled with other reforms, would put permanent residency beyond the reach of many former overseas students with poor English, little work experience and low-value qualifications in hospitality and cooking.
"Those providers who have built their business around marketing a credential that will lead to permanent residence must refocus their business," he said. "They need to sell credentials that overseas students believe they can take back to their country of origin with profit."
But Dennis Murray, executive director of the International Education Association of Australia, said the new rules would have little effect on universities although they would cut growth in hospitality courses. "We don't see a wholesale collapse of the industry, which is what Bob would like to see," he said.
Dr Birrell argued the appeal of permanent residency and lax rules for skilled migration delivered strong growth in business and information technology courses at universities in the early 2000s and even more dramatic growth since 2005 in hospitality, cooking and hairdressing courses at private colleges and TAFE institutes.
But the education business had come to distort the migration program, producing graduates ill-equipped or uninterested in the jobs they were supposedly trained for. Dr Birrell said the government took a stand, culminating in the tough new rules of December last year, but the surge in student numbers had carried through into the first few months of this year, for which there was official data.
"My expectation would be that the enrolments in the hospitality area will decline significantly once the message gets back via the recruitment network to the countries of origin," he said.
Dr Birrell said higher education also would lose fee income because graduates in accounting, a field that had enjoyed strong growth, had to have better English or take on an extra year of professional training.
But he said the government needed to back its tough policy changes with a clearer message to the industry. Instead, it had allowed more than 40,000 former students to stay on temporary and bridging visas, even though most had little chance of securing permanent residency. Most had taken up temporary visas created to soften the blow of September 2007 reforms aimed at the poor English and poor employment prospects of former students.
Dr Birrell said another, sizeable group had found a loophole. In the year to May the Department of Immigration and Citizenship had allowed 15,417 former students to apply for permanent residency as skilled migrants, despite their lacking occupations on the tough new critical skills list ushered in last December. The department had put off the processing of applications by those lacking critical skills, meaning these students remained on bridging visas.
The department's decision to accept these applications, and the $2105 fee, was "contentious and unwise" because it suggested these students eventually might win permanent residency despite not meeting the tight new rules.
"I think there's something of a battle going on within government as to which should be given priority: the maintenance of the (overseas student) industry on the one hand and dealing with the immigration problems generated by it on the other," Dr Birrell said.
An Immigration Department spokesman said the government was pursuing a more carefully targeted migration program, given the difficult economic times.
"Australia is giving priority to those people sponsored by employers or on the critical skills list, thus ensuring the nation gets people with the skills the economy and employers need," he said.

MBA Scholarships for International Students

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 09:47:00 +0000

The below opportunity is available only for one position. It is tough to get it but its worth applying for...

Source:www.business.uq.edu.au

For International Students

UQ Business School is delighted to announce four full fee-waiver scholarships for international students entering the full-time MBA in 2010.
Three of these scholarships are open to people applying from Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Great Britain (including British Nationals Overseas). One full fee-waiver scholarship is available to students applying from India to study in 2010.
To win a scholarship you must meet all the standard entry criteria for acceptance into the program (GMAT, English language proficiency, and work experience) as well as:

provide a personal statement in support of your application
supply a written professional reference and character reference
attend an interview in your country of residence or participate in a phone interview.

Terms and conditions apply.

How to apply

To apply for this scholarship you must have already submitted an application for entry into the MBA program in 2010 and received a UQ Student Number.
To apply for a scholarship, please forward a covering letter that clearly indicates your UQ Student Number as well as:

a personal statement in support of your application

a written professional reference and character reference

To: MBA Director
University of Queensland Business School University of Queensland St Lucia Queensland 4072 Australia
Shortlisted candidates will be required to participate in a face-to-face or phone interview.
Applications for the scholarships close on November 30, 2009.
Applications for admission to the MBA program should be submitted separately to your scholarship application either online or to the International Education Directorate.

Personal statement

Write no more than 1000 words (use 1.5 spacing and 12 point font).
You must supply a personal statement in support of the application. Your statement should:

explain why you want to undertake the MBA at UQ Business School
describe what value you think you will bring to your fellow MBA students
outline your long-term career goals
provide evidence of your leadership skills and community involvement.

References

To be considered, you must supply two references as follows:

professional reference from a current or former supervisor or manager
character reference.

Interview

If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to attend an interview (in your country of residence) or to participate in a phone interview.

Phone interview

If you are shortlisted and UQ Business School is unable arrange an in-country interview for you, we will ask you to participate in a phone interview.

Terms and conditions

Tuition-Fee Waiver Scholarship Eligibility

This tuition-fee waiver scholarship is for students from Europe and India applying to study the MBA at UQ on a full-time basis in 2009.

Tuition-Fee Waiver Scholarship Benefits

The tuition-fee waiver covers program tuition fees for the minimum number of units required to complete the program unless otherwise stated.
The tuition-fee waiver scholarship does NOT provide for

Books/photocopying
Tuition fees for repeating failed courses.

Duration of the Waiver

The maximum period of tenure for the tuition-fee waiver is for the duration of the program unless otherwise stated.

Termination of the Tuition-Fee Waiver Scholarship

The tuition-fee waiver scholarship will be terminated:

If, after due inquiry, the UQ Business School concludes that the student has not fulfilled obligations of the program and/or the University, or is not making satisfactory progress.
If the student has not resumed study after an approved maximum period of deferment of 1 year.
If the students transfers to another program in UQ or withdraws from the University.

Please note: approval from the University is required if a student wishes to transfer or withdraw from the program. The University may require the student to repay the tuition-fee waiver.

If the student fails to maintain full-time study.

Obligations of Students

Students are expected to fulfil all requirements associated with their student visas.
Student shall diligently and to the best of their ability apply themselves to the successful completion of their degree program.
Students are required to conform to University regulations (including disciplinary provisions).
Notification in writing to the Head of School is required if the student
- wishes to defer, transfer or withdraw from the approved program
- wishes to apply for an extension
- is absent for any reason (other than recreation leave) for a period of 14 days or more from the place of study, except with prior approval of the Head of School.
Student is required to pay the tuition costs of any failed course that must be repeated.

Indian student industry a study in shams and scams

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Indian student industry a study in shams and scams
from the Australian
AUSTRALIA'S lust for high-dollar Indian students has led to a thriving black market in sham marriages, forged English language exams and bogus courses, and turned a once-respected international education sector into a recognised immigration racket.

While the federal government and industry work to repair the damage caused by a recent spate of attacks on Indian students in Australia, education agents say the violence has shone a light on a $14 billion industry riven with corruption.

An investigation into the overseas student industry has found thousands of Indians each year are being enrolled in dodgy courses at inflated prices and sold unrealistic dreams of cheap living and plentiful jobs.

The Australian has found operators across the Punjab, the main feeder community for Indian students in Australia, openly advertising "contract marriages" for aspiring immigrants to partners who have passed the mandatory English test for a student visa.

For an additional fee, agents will arrange bank documents and loans to satisfy Australian immigration law that demands students have the means to support themselves for the duration of their course.

Industry insiders say a flourishing market has also developed around the International English Language Test System, with students paying anything up to $20,000 for a good result.

Sonya Singh, a respected Indian education agent servicing the Australian market, says the myriad scams offered to foreign students each year have made "Australia a supermarket where people are buying stuff off the shelf".

"A good-quality Indian student notices a completely no-good student on the same flight as him to Australia and starts to wonder where he's going," she said. "Indians are so conscious of branding and Australia's reputation has suffered a lot because of the recruitment process.

"My own kids didn't want to study in Australia because they had a perception that poor-quality students go there and that if they told their friends they were going to Australia, they would be laughed at or thought of as lesser."

Corruption is now so rife among India-based education agents that Ms Singh says she has had to institute a new policy across all 24 of her agencies in India and Australia. "The first thing they must tell every student that walks through the door is 'We don't arrange funds and we don't arrange marriages'," shesaid.

"In Melbourne, we get lots of requests to arrange IELTS scores and work-experience permits (to satisfy new requirements that a student must have completed 900 hours of work before being granted permanent residency)."

Last week, police arrested three people in the Punjab city of Ludhiana for impersonation and forgery after they were found to be sitting the IELTS exam for aspiring foreign students.

A police spokesman told local media the scam was an "organised racket" and further arrests were expected.

Foreign students and a voracious Indian media have reacted angrily to the recent attacks, prompting government and industry to announce legislative reviews, investigations into student welfare and a 10-point plan to reform the sector.

A delegation of government, police and education officials will tomorrow) conclude an eight-city tour of India designed to assure agents, parents and an Indian government made nervous by intense domestic media coverage that everything possible is being done to ensure the safety of foreign students.

However, Ms Singh says the root cause of student tension is not the attacks but a deep disconnect between the life they were told would be theirs and the debt, loneliness and disenchantment they find is the reality.

Fifty-one foreign students committed suicide in Australia last year, a fair proportion of them Indians whose families had sold land and taken on huge loans in the hope their child's success would repay in multiples.

Robert Palmer, who runs the Overseas Students Support Network in Melbourne, says supplying students to Australia has become a gold mine for education agents.

While universities and TAFEs pay about 25 per cent commission on first semester fees, equivalent to about $1200-$1500 per student, private institutes will pay up to 30 per cent of the entire course fee, providing a clear financial incentive for agents to channel students their way, and even into courses in which they have no interest.

And there is no shortage of willing students. The Australian approached six young men on the streets of Jalandhar, three of whom said they aimed to be studying in Australia by the end of the year. Among them was Jaspreet Badhan, who said he hoped to get permanent residency in Australia after studying hotel management. He added that many of his friends were hoping to study overseas.

Harmeet Pental, South Asia director of the Australian university-owned IDP Education agency, believes the problem lies with Australia's immigration processes. "The US interviews every single student going there -- whether it's for two or five minutes -- and then makes a call on their fitness," he said. "For Australia, agents have a list of skill sets given by the high commission and of the documentation required. That's it. The process is driving the behaviour."

Ms Singh says the Australian government policy of giving priority visa consideration to students who train in fields listed on the Critical Skills Shortage register has turned "genuine" students away.

"Every time a new (critical skills) list comes out, education providers start introducing those courses."

But Colin Walters, the federal Education Department official leading the Australian delegation in India, says that should change following the Indian government's decision last week to regulate the agent industry.

"The sector has grown very rapidly and there are some criticisms about some providers, so we need a vigorous audit system so their outcomes can be carefully scrutinised," he said.

Agents prey on foreign students

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:59:00 +0000

Agents prey on foreign students
from the Australian
LURED by the high commissions offered by private colleges in Australia, unscrupulous education agents in India are using false promises of work and residency to funnel students into courses that in some cases they don't want to do.

In extreme cases, international students arrive thinking they will be studying in beautiful buildings such as Melbourne's historic town hall, only to discover on arrival that their college is a "dog box", according to student advocate Robert Palmer.

Mr Palmer, a veteran of the education industry, said students were turning up at his Overseas Student Support Network in Melbourne complaining of being duped by their agents.

He said colleges and regulators were also to blame for not doing enough to prevent students from falling prey to lying agents.

"People in Australia conveniently say they can't control overseas agents, but if they are your agent then you are legally responsible for their actions," Mr Palmer said.

He said that under the Education Services for Overseas Students Act, providers -- universities, TAFEs or private colleges -- must ensure students are fully informed before they enrol and that wasn't happening.

"If the act was policed properly, you would go a long way towards solving the problem," he said.

Last month, the federal government brought forward a planned review to tighten up the ESOS act.

Australia's commercially focused education industry is an attractive trade for offshore education agents. Universities and TAFEs are prized clients because they have large and regular volumes. But the competition can weigh on commissions. According to Mr Palmer, a university would commonly pay a 25 per cent commission on first semester fees, equivalent to about $1200-$1500 a student.

Private colleges, especially new ones in need of students, are happy to pay much higher commissions to ensure supply. Mr Palmer said they commonly paid 30 per cent of the fee for a whole course. For a two-year course, which is the minimum required for a student to apply for skilled migration, fees would commonly amount to $16,000, translating into a commission of almost $5000 a student.

At the Australian end of the trade, students can find themselves left struggling to get refunds from colleges that enforce sometimes tight deadlines on notices of cancellations.

"Once they get their hands on the student, they will do everything in their power to keep the student in their college," Mr Palmer said.

Mr Palmer estimated that since February, when OSSN opened its office in Melbourne, he had handled 1000 legitimate complaints. Of those, at least 80per cent were about students being misled by education agents in their home country.

Michael Bull, of Immigration Consulting Group Australia, said students were made easy prey for unscrupulous agents by the pressure put on them by their families, who often took out hefty loans in the hope the student would be able to secure work and eventually residency.

"Their eyes are on the pot of gold and that makes them vulnerable to misinformation, badly researched information or straight out crooks," Mr Bull said.

He said some students were also simply trying to get around the system, believing they would somehow be able to secure residency once they were here.

Mr Bull said the industry needed to do more to ensure agents were giving out the right information. He said some colleges were ramping up their efforts, noting that last year he was twice commissioned by a college to travel to India to check up on agents.

The Australian Council for Private Education and Training is investigating the possibility of establishing a register of approved agents for the industry. Its chief executive, Andrew Smith, said: "The regulations are clear that the colleges are responsible but the difficulty is in how you address the acts of people halfway around the world."

Attack over flying school

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:56:00 +0000

Attack over flying school
From the Australian
THE Indian consul general in Sydney has slammed Australian education authorities for their slow response to complaints from Indian students against a flying school caught out using under-qualified instructors.

The education watchdog has threatened to deregister Aerospace Aviation at Bankstown in southwest Sydney after finding a "critical" breach of standards regulating the teaching of overseas students.

Consul general Gautam Roy said yesterday the tardy response of state and federal education departments had caused several students to return to India and others to be lumped with debt from a failed legal action against the school.

Five Indian students, who complained the school did not provide adequate resources for them to complete their courses on time, have been forced home to start paying off loans for their unfinished courses.

More than 20 Indian students from the school reported their complaints to the federal Education Department in a face-to-face meeting on October 17. The complaints were referred to the Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board, which took until May to audit the school.

The audit found Aerospace Aviation instructors did not have qualifications required by the Australian Quality Training Framework.

The students also contacted the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the NSW Office of Fair Trading.

After getting little joy from the authorities, nine of the students attempted to recover pre-paid school fees from Aerospace by issuing the school with a statutory demand in March.

NSW Supreme Court judge Richard White threw the claim out of court last week, saying the avenue taken by the students to seek the refunds was not the correct one, as statutory demands were for the recovery of established debts, not "disputed demands". The students will have to pay the legal costs for Aerospace Aviation.

"I am sure they would not have gone to court if they had got some kind of reassurance from the authorities who are supposed to look into the affairs of the education providers," Mr Roy said yesterday.

The NSW Department of Education and Training yesterday said VETAB had waited for the outcome of an investigation into the complaints by the federal Education Department before undertaking the May audit.

Aerospace, which denies all of the students' allegations, has been given two weeks to comply with the VETAB standards.

A statement by Aerospace's director of training and chief flying instructor, Sue Davis, said the company was "confident" it would meet the standards.

Increased visa fees to fund embassy makeovers

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Thu, 14 May 2009 07:10:00 +0000

If you are going to apply for an Australian Student visa anytime soon, then be adviced that there may be a steep increase in the fee...according to this news article from "The Australian"

Increased visa fees to fund embassy makeovers

FOREIGN students wanting to study in Australia will be forced to pay an extra 20 per cent for their entry permits after another hike in visa fees.

Humanitarian arrivals, tourists and temporary residents who were hit with visa fee increases last year have been spared further pain.

But students, business people, skilled migrants and certain family categories are going to be hit hard, with the new measures expected to raise $402.3 million over the next four years.

For foreign students, the changes mean a hike from $450 to about $540 for each application.

It will also cost more to become an Australian citizen, with the application fee up 10 per cent to $260 for people born overseas.

The additional revenue will help offset the cost of building several new embassies.

The Bangkok embassy, one of the most important in Asia, is to be relocated to a more secure area, as will the Jakarta mission, which was severely damaged in a terrorist attack in 2005.

It will also help pay the $1million it cost the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to evacuate Australians stranded in Bangkok last year when anti-government protesters occupied the country's main airport.

Canberra's container-based diplomats in Kabul will be pleased to learn that $3 million has been allocated for a study of where to put a new embassy in the Afghan capital. The money will match a dramatic increase in military and civilian aid.

Australia's foreign-based spies get $43.7 million over four years, money the Australian Secret Intelligence Service will spend on enhancing counter-terrorism capabilities in the immediate region.

Security at diplomatic posts will get a $54 million budget boost, including $18.7 million in capital funding. "The measure aims to ensure adequate levels of protection are provided for personnel, visitors, property and information. This includes enhancement to both physical, information and communication technology security," the budget papers say.

Recognising the continuing threat posed by terrorism, the Government has allocated $28.1million to DFAT for counter-terror activities focused primarily in Southeast Asia.

Building on Kevin Rudd's First National Security Statement in December, the budget includes $106.5 million over four years to strengthen diplomacy, advance trade prospects and protect Australians abroad. The Prime Minister's hopes of securing a non-permanent UN Security Council seat will be helped by an extra $11.2million in lobbying funds. If successful it will have Australia sitting on the council for a two-year term from 2013-14.

"Membership of the Security Council would enhance Australia's ability to shape international responses to security issues," the papers say. "The measure will help support the campaign through funding additional staff at the New York mission, supplementing smaller missions on an as-needs basis, deploying special envoys and supporting ministerial campaigning."

Research Shows Migrants Still Contributing to Strong Economic Growth

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Thu, 14 May 2009 06:49:00 +0000

here is a very promising article from macarne
people some times ask me why hundreds of young, well qualified people move to australia each year and more so during the period of recession. here is an article that shows that migrants do find jobs and settle down reasonably well after the initial struggle.

Research Shows Migrants Still Contributing to Strong Economic Growth
New research by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) shows that migrants accelerate their employment outcomes in the year following their first six months in Australia.
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Kevin Andrews said today the third Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Australia (LSIA3) showed that employment among skilled migrants increased from 91 per cent after six months to 97 per cent after they had been in Australia for 18 months.
‘The research also shows a dramatic improvement for family-stream migrants where employment increased from 80 per cent to 94 per cent in the year after their first six months settling in,’ Mr Andrews said.
‘Australia is the ideal destination for migrants - our strong economy is complemented by our selection of young migrants with good English and recognised skills.
‘After 18 months in Australia, median earnings of skilled migrants are $47 000 a year.
‘Skilled migrants living in regional and low-growth areas do even better, with 99 per cent employed after 18 months and average incomes around $50 000.’
The longitudinal survey also showed the correlation of higher English language test scores and better job outcomes, endorsing Government changes to the skilled migration points test.
If migrants are to actively participate in the workforce, then at the very least they need a reasonable command of English. It also makes sense if migrants are to take advantage of everything that this country has to offer, both the economic and social benefits.
LSIA3 interviewed almost 10 000 primary applicants from the skilled and family migration streams who arrived in Australia or were granted visas onshore between December 2004 and March 2005.

Permanent Residents and to be PRs need to read this...

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Thu, 14 May 2009 06:42:00 +0000

If you are coming to Australia as a Permanent Resident from another country or are completing study here and are applying for onshore PR, there are some useful details which you can go through. The Department of Immigration has published a set of pdf files - Welcome kits...for PRs and to be PRs.
check it out here.

these pdf files have everything that you need to know to start a new life in Austraila !

Latest News

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Thu, 14 May 2009 06:37:00 +0000

The most recent news updates...be it relating to University rankings or changes in Permanent Residency rule changes....you can follow it all within the Latest News label right here on the "Student Life in Australia" Blog

importance of taking multiple opinions

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 07:26:00 +0000

Coming to Australia to study is a big decision. there are other decisions that you will need to take during your stay in Australia. some of the questions you would think of are:
1) which course you would take?
2)which city/university you would go to?
3)what would the part time job opportunities be like?
4)how easy will it be to get a rented house?
5)what is the cost of living like?
6)Is a suburb safe?
7)Is it safe to travel after a given time at night?

This post is to tell you the importance of taking multiple opinions before making important decisions. some students blindly believe what the education agent tells them and then suffer later. you should understand that there is no point in complaining later when you can actually avoid getting into a bad situation.

you could probably ask in the social networking sites like orkut or in Australia study related forums.
knowing fully well that you will be spending a fortune to Study in Australia, and that you will be alone without the support of your immediate family, it is best to think about your decision many times. This post is inspired by this news article below.

Slumdog reality of the Sydney lure

Guy Healy | April 15, 2009

YOUNG Indian student Tanaya Das had to doss down on a lounge at her campus faculty for two nights despite being told by an education agent in Bangalore that affordable accommodation and a job would be easy to find in Sydney.

Das now lives in one of the most dangerous parts of Redfern after last year discovering that suitable accommodation in Sydney was so scarce that she had to share a three-bedroom flat in the CBD with 14 others for five months.

"I am not happy. I am going home to tell them how (the agents) dupe students; the whole cost factor. They weren't honest with me," she tells the HES.

While the University of Technology, Sydney student says her journalism course is "brilliant and a lot of fun", she is so disappointed by her living conditions that she is going home prematurely after finishing a shorter course.

"I was living in a three-bedroom apartment with 14 others for $160 per week," she says. "I have never had my own room. How can people study if they don't have a basic amount of privacy and peace of mind because of people living and partying around you all the time?"

Das, who has paid $50,000 to study in Australia, says she resorted to studying at the offices of an international newsagency on weekends to get some peace.

Despite assurances by an IDP Education agent in Bangalore to the contrary, she says it was very difficult to find accommodation and part-time work in Sydney. Living costs were double the $1000 per month she was told she would need. She ran out of money and became depressed, she says.

Das says she is going home to tell her countrymen about having survived her experience of Australian education.

India-based education agent and researcher, Gail Baker, tells the HES that while most overseas students have a positive experience of Australia, it is common for agents to mislead and sway students to sign them up to a university.

Baker says she knows of occasions when overseas students have arrived on campus in regional areas only to discover the likely sources of jobs in a metropolitan area are a 600km train ride away.

Migration Institute of Australia chief executive Maurene Horder says misleading potential students is common, and regulation is urgently needed to produce qualified and accountable agents.

An IDP spokesman tells the HES its overseas student offices give the best advice they can to students enrolling in Australian courses.
source: The Australian

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noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:08:00 +0000

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Overseas students 'vital' to economy

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:00:00 +0000

The two articles posted below are very significant. these clearly highlight that International students are the key drivers of the Australian economy in this time of International economic crisis. every dollar that an international student spends for fees/living expense contributes to job creation here. Read below the articles from The Australian.

Overseas students 'vital' to economy

A DROP of 5 per cent in the number of overseas students at Australian colleges and universities would cause 6300 Australians to lose their jobs as the economy shed more than $600 million in export revenue, a new report warns.

The Access Economics report on the contribution of overseas students to the Australian economy, released today, confirms the export education sector's bullish growth prospects.

It estimates that while overseas students and their families spend $14.1 billion each year in Australia, this creates an extra $12.6 billion in "value added" goods, services and jobs.

The export education industry's total contribution to the Australian economy is more than $26.7 billion.

The report estimates that for every four overseas students who come to Australia to study, more than one Australian job is created.

But it also warns of the dire consequences of any contraction in overseas student numbers, and models the impact of a "shock" to the national economy of a 5 per cent fall in global demand for Australian education.

Commissioned by the Australian Council for Private Education and Training, which represents more than 1100 private colleges, the report comes a fortnight after the federal Government announced plans to cut the skilled migration intake by 14per cent next year.

There are fears that the Government's shake-up of skilled migration, which is expected to reduce the number of permanent visas by 18,500 next year, could dampen demand from overseas students for Australian education.

Access Economics found, for example, that in 2007-08 more than 21,000 overseas students were granted residency under various visa class applications.

ACPET national executive officer Andrew Smith said the report highlights the risk to Australian jobs if international student numbers are reduced as part of migration reform.

"Our sector is one of the best performing industries in the country, employs more Australians each year and has proven extremely resilient to the impact of the global financial crisis," Mr Smith said.

"In steering Australia through one of the most serious economic crises in history, it is vital that we don't put at risk industries that are performing well, such as our thriving international education industry, in order to protect others that are not."

The report finds that Australia's export education industry grew 42 per cent in the three years to last year, employs 126,000 people, and contributes 1per cent of the nation's GDP.

It confirms that the education sector is the nation's third-biggest export earner behind coal and iron ore, and performs better than travel, services (professional, business and technical), gold, crude petroleum and aluminium.

"Each international student, including their friend and family visitors, contributes an average of $28,921 in value added to the Australian economy and generates 0.29 in full-time equivalent workers," the report finds.

Last year, overseas students spent about $13.7 billion -- including $6.4 billion on education fees and $4.3 billion on food and accommodation -- while visiting friends and family spent $365.8 million.

In addition, Australian education providers earned $438 million from overseas campuses and consultancy services.

While Australia's universities are reporting continued strong international enrolments, concerns remain the market could yet take a hit if the economic downturn bites hard in Asian source countries.

There is also a risk that students will be put under pressure by part-time work opportunities drying up.

Source: The Australian

Learning boom amid the economic gloom

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:59:00 +0000

Learning boom amid the economic gloom

AUSTRALIA'S export education industry grew 42 per cent in the three years to 2008, employs 126,000 people and contributes 1per cent of the nation's gross domestic product, according to an Access Economics report.

The report, to be released today, is the first to synthesise all available data on the economic contribution of international students to the Australian economy.

It finds that the total impact of the export industry on the economy, once the "value-added" effect of $12.6 billion is added to direct expenditure by overseas students and their families of $14.1 billion, exceeds $26.7 million. Commissioned by the Australian Council for Private Education and Training, it confirms that the education sector is the nation's third biggest export earner behind coal and iron ore, outperforming travel, services (professional, business and technical), as well as exports of gold, crude petroleum and aluminium.

The report found that every dollar spent on education by an international student in Australia contributed an additional $1.91 to the economy.

International student activity is estimated to have contributed just more than 122,000 full-time equivalent employees to the economy in 2007-08, it says. "Of these, 33,482 were employed in the education sector and 88,649 in other related sectors."

ACPET national executive officer Andrew Smith confirmed to the HES yesterday that enrolments in private colleges were holding firm this year and in some cases rising amid the recession. "While a number of other industries are contracting, this is one that is going from strength to strength," he said. "It is important to the Australian economy that this is recognised."

Mr Smith described the export education sector, comprising public and private providers, as "a booming industry and one of our strongest defences against global recession". For every four overseas students to enter the country, a job was created.

The Access Economics report found that in 2007-08 more than 21,000 overseas students were granted residency under various visa class applications.

It predicts that a 5 per cent reduction in overseas student numbers would cause 6300 Australians to lose their jobs as the economy lost more than $600million in export revenue.

Australian education providers also earned $438 million from overseas campuses and consultancy services, bringing total income for the sector to $14.1billion. Of $13.7 billion spent by overseas students in 2007-08, more than $6.4 billion went on education fees and $4.3 billion on food and accommodation. The report found that Australia, with less than 1 per cent of the world's population, enrolled 7.5 per cent of the world's international students.

Overall, the international enrolments of private sector providers grew by 92.6 per cent from 2006 to 2007. The highest growth was experienced in Victoria, where the sector increased by almost 250 per cent.

This compares with growth of only 7.7 per cent between 2006 and 2008 in the number of overseas students in higher education, suggesting that "the sector has reached a mature growth phase compared with other sectors of the education market".

The English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students and vocational education and training sectors, in contrast, experienced a surge in growth during the period, with enrolments increasing by 63.7 per cent and 112.6 per cent respectively.

Mr Smith added that the importance of the export education industry could not be measured solely in economic terms.

"Education makes an enormous contribution to the students who come here to study, and to their communities when they return and take an Australian education home," he said.

IDP Education chief executive Tony Pollock said the report showed that international education was important to the students who came to Australia and the Australian economy.

"International education is a high-value, knowledge industry (that) creates jobs in Australia and, as a nation, we have proved we are very good at it," he said.

TAFE Directors Australia chief executive Martin Riordan said vocational students accounted for almost half the overseas students, and showed heftier spending on a government campaign to shore up recruitment of overseas students was justified.

Mr Riordan also warned that a critical lack of student housing needed to be addressed.

Source: The Australian

Australia Unemployment at record high

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 05:13:00 +0000

State feels sting of job losses

Peter Martin
March 13, 2009 - 1:32PM

AUSTRALIA'S unemployment has surged to its highest level in five years, with Victoria suffering the biggest rise in the nation.

As the financial crisis began to bite, Victoria's unemployment rate jumped from 4.8 per cent to 5.6 per cent, putting it behind only NSW and South Australia.

Australia's unemployment rate rose from 4.8 to 5.2, meaning that 590,000 people are out of work, the most since mid-2003.

The speed with which the jobless rate has risen in recent months has prompted speculation that it will exceed the Federal Government's forecast of 5.5 per cent by June, and 7 per cent midway through next year.

It has also increased the chances of an interest rate cut next month.

The figures came as the World Bank predicted that the global economy was heading for its worst recession since the 1930s and amid increasing speculation that US President Barack Obama would introduce another big stimulus package.

While Australia's unemployment rate has jumped, the number of people in work appears to have remained broadly steady. But the make-up of jobs is shifting from full-time to part-time, with Victoria leading the change.

An Age analysis shows that 35,300 full-time jobs have vanished in Australia since November, replaced by an extra 38,400 part-time jobs.

The fewer hours worked means Australia in the past three months lost the equivalent of 16,100 full- time jobs, more than half in Victoria.

In the past six months, Australia has lost the net equivalent of 21,300 full-time jobs, again more than half in Victoria. Only Western Australia has lost more work than Victoria in recent months.

The jobless figures were bad news for Victorian Premier John Brumby, who also saw the state's surplus slashed yesterday. Mr Brumby told parliament Victoria was facing the toughest economic conditions since the Great Depression, but said the Government remained "totally focused" on jobs.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the spike in unemployment was the result of global pressures, and would have been worse if not for Canberra's stimulus measures.

But Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull said the Prime Minister should take responsibility for the "Rudd recession". He said it was such a big jump in one month that it cast doubt on the Government's forecasts.

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Peter Anderson said the data was "a clear warning" that the jobless rate would rise faster than the 7 per cent forecast.

ANZ economist Riki Polygenis said the drift away from full-time work did not bode well for economic growth. He said it appeared companies were cutting staff working hours and this would put pressure on household spending.

Joshua Williamson of TD Securities said employers were still in the first stage of lowering working hours to cut costs as business shrank. "The leading indicators strongly suggest they will shed labour outright over the course of 2009," he said.

Women are holding onto full-time jobs much better than men, with trend figures showing no loss of female full-time jobs in the past three months, the period in which the Federal Government's stimulus package has shored up the fortunes of retailers, traditionally big employers of women.

World Bank president Robert Zoellick revealed in a British newspaper interview yesterday that he expected the global economy to shrink 1 to 2 per cent this year. In the interview, Mr Zoellick said: "These are serious and dangerous times. We haven't seen numbers like this since World War II."

The bank's updated forecast will be used to guide finance ministers and treasurers from the Group of 20 leading economies meeting in London on Saturday.

In comments that will not be welcomed by Treasurer Wayne Swan, who left for the meeting yesterday, Mr Zoellick played down the importance of more stimulus measures, saying it was more important to fix the financial system and help ailing developing nations. "Stimulus plans will be like a sugar high unless you fix the banking system," he said.

Source: The Age

opinion: Australia is now feeling the impact of the Global Economic Crisis. This is inevitable. however, there is some hope that the stimulus package will offer some protection. the truth is that there has been a freeze in full time and part time recruitment which is impacting thousands of students. however, this could only be a passing phase and things can hopefully be turned around.

Skilled Migration Numbers Slashed

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:58:00 +0000

Skilled migrants cutback

Michelle Grattan and Peter Martin
March 16, 2009 - 12:00AM

AUSTRALIA'S intake of skilled migrants will be slashed by 18,500 over the next three months — 14 per cent of the annual intake — in a dramatic move to protect local jobs.

Less than a year after increasing the skilled migrant intake to record levels, the Rudd Government has responded to the deepening economic crisis by removing building and manufacturing trades from the list of workers Australia is seeking from overseas.

Bricklayers, plumbers, welders, carpenters and metal fitters will no longer get entry. The list of critical skills is now confined mainly to the health and medical, engineering and IT professions.

The cut reduces the skilled migrant intake for the 2008-09 financial year from 133,500 to 115,000.

The Government had already foreshadowed a reduction in skilled migrants — who form the bulk of the immigration intake — next financial year, with details to be announced in the May budget.

The decision to cut the number of skilled migrants now shows the Government's growing concern about ballooning unemployment, which in February rose from 4.8 per cent to 5.2 per cent.

The official forecast of a 7 per cent unemployment rate by mid next year is certain to be revised up in the budget.

The deep cut in skilled migrant numbers follows December changes that meant only migrants sponsored by an employer or in an occupation on the critical skills list could get a permanent visa. Almost half the visas granted in this category are to people already working in Australia.

Immigration Minister Chris Evans promised further paring back of the critical skills list if warranted. "The Government will remove occupations from the list if demand for those skills can be satisfied by local labour."

Senator Evans said the overwhelming message from business and industry "is that Australia still needs to maintain a skilled migration program but one that is more targeted so that migrant workers are meeting skills shortages and not competing with locals for jobs".

There were still shortages in sectors such as health care. The measures will enable industry to continue to get the skilled professionals needed "while protecting local jobs and the wages and conditions of Australian workers", Senator Evans said.

He added that the Government remained committed to a strong migration program. "Skilled migration plays a crucial role in stimulating the economy."

The cuts came as Mr Swan signed an international communique agreeing to "fight all forms of protectionism and maintain open trade and investment".

Finance ministers and treasurers from the Group of 20 large industrial and developing nations met in Horsham, south-west of London, to thrash out an agreement that committed them to "take whatever action is necessary until growth is restored" with the proviso that they kept their borders open.

"We will try to ensure that there is no intended or unintended trade protectionism," said the meeting's chair, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling, speaking to reporters after the meeting.

Mr Swan told the ABC there had been little disagreement: "You didn't see that in the meeting today. It was a very encouraging outcome. I've been coming to a number of these meetings over the last six months or so and today I saw a resolve we haven't seen before."

Ministers agreed to boost their contributions to the International Monetary Fund to let it help countries that can no longer get credit.

The leaders of the G-20 nations including Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will continue the negotiations in London on April 2. The global financial crisis will dominate Mr Rudd's first face-to-face meeting with US President Barack Obama next week.
Mr Obama yesterday singled out Australia as a country taking appropriate action in the face of the global economic crisis. "Kevin Rudd has taken similar steps (to stimulate the economy) in Australia," he said.

This news article is from The Age.

opinion: This change in policy could deeply impact those that are filing off shore permanenet visas. however, this might not affect to the same extent, those who are on student visas that intend to migrate subsequently.

Job CV drafting service

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:59:00 +0000

Hundreds of students have written me emails saying they have applied for a tax file number and that they have the 20 hours work permit but are not able to find work anywhere. many have said that they are flexible enough to work later in the evenings/night shifts and are ready to do waitoring or other jobs involving manual labor, but are not able to get any work at all even after months of searching.

But what most of them dont realize is that getting a job also involves some costs in terms of investment. firstly, international students think that the CV that they have written is correct/ most appropriate. this is a misconception. for each job that you apply, you may have to make some changes. applying for a part time job or full time job in Australia may not be the same as in ones own country.

The resume that one submits is the first point of contact with the prospective employer and so if you get the CV right you are half way there already. so one must be willing to even pay a one time price to get their CV modified and suited to the job that one is interested in finding. many experienced CV writers charge upto 24.95$ per casual/part time job resume and 34.95$ for a full time job resume.

So, If you have applied to many many places for part time jobs and are not successful...then wonder no more...it could be your CV !

good luck with your resume writing and job search !

student enrolment at record high

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 08:43:00 +0000

This post is inspired by an article in The Australian on 26th of feb 2009.
The year 2008 has seen a record number of International students enrolled at Australian Universities. more than significant percentage of student enrollment has been from India and China. It is predicted that student intake may not be affected significantly due to the world wide economic crisis, and that student numbers will continue at this rate for the next couple of years. here is the article...

Overseas student enrolments in Australia at record high

Enrolments by overseas students in Australian educational institutions rose a record 20.7 per cent to 543,898 in 2008 - the largest increase since 2002 - according to the latest Australian Education International figures.

``This is the first time international enrolments have exceeded 500,000 in a calendar year,'' federal Education Minister Ms Gillard said.

The rise in student enrolments from Asia - up 21.5 per cent - was recognition of Australia's ongoing relationship with its Asian neighbours and the strong awareness of Australia as a quality education destination, she said.

International education contributed $14.2 billion to the economy in 2007-08, making it Australia's third-largest export behind coal and iron ore.

The 20.7 per cent increase was underpinned by 46 per cent growth in vocational education, an 11.8 per cent increase in commencements in universities and a 22.8 per cent increase in crucial English language programs which feed into universities.

The latest AEI figures are in line with 15 to 20 per cent growth figures that have been produced by Australia's export education boom over the medium term, and led to the federal Government's AEI announcing last October that overseas student enrolments exceeded 500,000 for the first time.

The latest figures appear to provide further evidence for a belief that higher education is recession resilient, or at least recession-proof.

However they will be treated with caution by universities since they are from last December and do not take into account the crucial February/March enrolment time.

Ms Gillard acknowledged the impact of the global financial crisis on international student enrolments in 2009 ``will become clearer in the coming weeks".

``It is encouraging to hear a number of Australian education institutions reporting continuing strong interest from international students wishing to study in Australia,'' the Deputy Prime Minister said.

The Rudd Government was working closely with Australia's international education industry to ensure overseas student demand was maintained in 2010 and beyond, she said.

The fall in the value of the Australian dollar made an Australian education more affordable, senior export education observers said.

Universities Australia chief executive Glenn Withers told The Australian recently that universities were confident they could maintain their overseas student numbers ahead of competitor countries over the next few years, even in times of international economic difficulty.

________________________________________________

more students flowing into the 30 or so universities (located in 4 major cities)in australia..what does this mean for you?

with time it gets harder to get apartments/shared accomodation

getting a part time job becomes very competitive

getting a full time job after graduation is only for the cream (Top %)of the students

so does this mean you should not come here? NO ...there is always a way out ! in the forthcoming articles, we will bring you more updates on these lines.

Australian Job Market - Jan 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 07:01:00 +0000

A quick update about the Australian Job Market as of january 2009. I am sure this is useful stuff because the job market is an important parameter to take into account while aspiring to Study in Australia.

Australian Job Market Jan 2009

critical skills list

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:11:00 +0000

this is a quick post to give you the link to the pdf document which has the critical skills list...

Faq on 09 migration part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:56:00 +0000

continuation of the FAQ on migration changes for 2009...

Q20 Has something like this happened before?

In 1997, the department introduced priority processing in the partner migration program. In that instance, applicants sponsored by an Australian citizen with children were given priority. The MODL is updated periodically, based on DEEWR labour market research, to meet the changing skill shortages inAustralia.

Q21 What is the processing priority going to be now?

The new priority processing direction gives priority processing to permanent applications in the

following order:

1. employer sponsorship

2. state or territory sponsorship

3. an occupation on the CSL

4. an occupation on the MODL

5. all other applications.

The new priority processing direction gives priority processing to provisional applications in the

following order:

1. state or territory sponsorship

2. family sponsorship where the applicant’s occupation is listed on the CSL

3. all other applications.

Q22 What will happen to those applications which are in the final stages of processing and where the department has requested applicants to provide health and character clearances?

Those applications which are currently close to being finalised will be finalised by the department, subject to health and character clearances.

Q23 What about applications outside the skill stream?

These measures only affect the skill stream.

See:
Is your occupation in demand?

Critical Skills List (40KB PDF file) (---enclosed in seperate post---)

State Nomination

Q1 How can states and territories nominate, or sponsor, people?

States and territories can nominate applicants who have an occupation on their skills shortage list and they may also sponsor up to 500 people a year who do not have occupations on their state or territory list.

Applicants should approach the relevant state or territory agency directly to enquire about nomination.

Q2 How many people can states and territories bring in under the state and territory skills shortage list?

The number of potential migrants which each state or territory can sponsor from their skills shortage list is unlimited, barring the total skilled migration program’s ceiling being reached. However, each state and territory is allocated a quota
of 500 off-list nominations per program year from occupations included on the Skilled Occupations List (SOL) but not on the state or territory’s skills shortage list. These off-list nominations are in addition to the nominations from their skills
shortage list.

Q3 What is the state skills shortage list?

Each state and territory compiles its own skills shortage list. Each state or territory can sponsor potential migrants with skills in an occupation included on their skills shortage list for a General Skilled Migration (GSM) visa. Applicants
sponsored by a state or territory government for a permanent visa receive an additional 10 points on the GSM points test.

Q4 Is there any restriction on the types of skills that states and territories can bring in under the state skills shortage list?

The state and territory skills shortage lists identify occupations believed to be in shortage in each jurisdiction. The only limitation is that occupations included on the state skills shortage lists must also be listed on the GSM SOL.

Q5 Can the states and territories bring in people with skills that are not on the CSL?

Yes, states and territories may sponsor applicants who have nominated an occupation which is on the SOL but is not on the CSL. They may use their 500 off-list nominations to sponsor other applicants.

Q6 If I have already lodged an independent skilled application, is there any way to change it to a State Sponsored visa?

If you have lodged a Skilled – Independent (subclass 175) visa or a Skilled – Independent (subclass 885) visa, your visa can be assessed as a State Sponsored visa.

To obtain a state or territory nomination, you should approach the state or territory you would like to live in and request they consider nominating you. Please note that state-sponsored migrants are expected to live for at least two (2) years in
the state or territory which sponsors them.

See: Nomination by State/Territory government

If you are accepted by a state or territory government, they will notify you and lodge the relevant nomination form directly with the department.

You will also need to complete the post-lodgement form to let the department know that you have accepted a nomination and wish to have your application assessed under either the Skilled – Sponsored (subclass 176) visa or a Skilled – Sponsored (subclass 886) visa.

See: General Skilled Migration Post-Lodgement Enquiry Form

Students

Q1 How will these changes impact on international students?

Australia has a well-deserved reputation for high-quality education and training. We continue to welcome overseas students, and appreciate the contribution they make to both academic life and the communities in which they live.

There are no changes being proposed to the student visa program itself. The pathway from a student visa to General Skilled Migration (GSM) also remains in place. However, applying for a student visa and applying for GSM are separate
processes. It is important to note that student visas are aimed at achieving an educational outcome.

GSM on the other hand is predominantly driven by the labour market needs of Australia.

Q2 I am an international student, can I still apply for permanent residence?

International students who were eligible for permanent residence before these changes will still be eligible for permanent residence. International students who have graduated from an Australian education provider and meet other necessary requirements will still be eligible to apply for permanent residence under the GSM program. Student visa holders will still need to meet the points test and basic eligibility requirements such as having the required level of English language proficiency and having completed a degree, diploma or trade qualification resulting from at least two academic years of study in Australia.

While the requirements for GSM have not changed, Australia continually adjusts and reviews its migration program to ensure it meets changing needs and circumstances. Prospective permanent visa applicants should continue to monitor the website for changes.

Q3 The course I am studying will not allow me to qualify for an occupation on the Critical Skills List (CSL), can I still apply for a permanent residence visa?

These changes do not impact on the application requirements for GSM. The points test and requirements for GSM have not changed. Students studying in courses leading to 50- or 60-point occupations on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) will still be eligible to apply for GSM. Students with 60-point occupations will also still be eligible for additional points on the points test if that occupation is listed on the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL). The SOL and MODL have not changed.

Eligible applicants with occupations not on the CSL will still be able to apply for GSM. However, their visa applications will not be processed as quickly. Those people nominating occupations on the CSL will be given processing priority.

Q4 What visas other than skill stream visas can I access?

International students holding a student visa can continue to apply for other temporary or permanent visas provided that they meet the necessary eligibility criteria.

Q5 The course I am studying will not allow me to qualify for an occupation on the Critical Skills List - Can I enrol in another course?

Students wishing to change course should firstly discuss with their education provider how this can be done. Those students who wish to change to a course in a different education sector may also need to apply for a Student visa of a
different subclass and should contact the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).

Q6 I am an education provider with students enrolled in a course that will not allow them to qualify for an occupation on the CSL and these students are now withdrawing their enrolment. Is the Government going to compensate me?

No. The Government has not made any changes to international education or student visa policy. There is no reason why a provider cannot continue to offer the same courses. The occupations eligible for GSM have not changed. The changes
will only impact on those students who apply for GSM on graduation. The change will mean faster visa processing for applicants with employer sponsorship or who are nominated by a State or Territory Government or who have an occupation on the CSL.

The government changes GSM visa requirements in response to economic conditions and labour market needs. As such, the government makes no guarantees that courses delivered by education providers in response to students seeking a permanent migration outcome will continue to assist them in meeting this goal.

Q7 What further changes are proposed for the student program?

At this time, there are no changes proposed to the student visa program.

Applying for a student visa and applying for GSM are separate processes. GSM requirements may be altered in future in response to changing economic circumstances.

The Government is focused on shifting the outcome of the migration program to a more industry driven model where employer sponsored visas become a significant pathway to permanent residence. Further changes along this direction will potentially be made in the future.

Subclass 457 – Business (Long Stay) visa

Q1 Do these changes affect my 457 application?

No.

Q2 Can I apply for General Skilled Migration while I hold a 457 Visa?

Yes, you can apply for an offshore GSM visa in Australia as a holder of 457 visa as long as you meet the threshold requirements. However, as this is an offshore category visa, you must be outside Australia at the time of grant and you will not be eligible for a bridging visa.

Disclaimer: The above details is provided as information as is. for the most recent changes, refer to the web site of the department of immigration. for immigration related matters, it is best to consult a registered migration agent.

Faq on 09 migration part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:40:00 +0000

Hello All !
Many of you have been asking me to post updates relating to immigration changes on this blog. so here we go...this is the frequently asked questions relating to the Migration Program changes for 2008-09.

Q1 What changes have been announced for the Skilled Migration program?

The changes announced to the skilled migration program by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship are:

• a new section 499 ministerial direction on priority processing

• the introduction of a critical skills list (CSL)

• greater scope for state and territory governments to meet critical skills shortages in their jurisdiction.

Q2 Which applicants will receive priority processing?

The new priority processing Direction gives priority to applicants with employer sponsorship, state or territory nomination
and those skilled migration applicants with an occupation on the CSL.

Q3 When will these changes be introduced?

These changes came into effect on from 1 January 2009.

Q4 Why have these changes been introduced?

In the 2008 Budget, the skill stream of the migration program for 2008-09 was significantly increased to 133 500 places as
part of the Government’s strategy to counter the risk of increased inflation due to pressure on the growth of wages.
However, since the 2008 Budget, there has been a significant change in Australia’s economic circumstances as a result
of the recent global financial crisis.

This crisis has weakened the Australian economy, as reflected in the recent Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook
(MYEFO) forecasts. In response to these changes in circumstances, the minister has announced a more targeted
approach to the 2008-09 skilled migration program. This announcement includes priority processing of employer
sponsored, state and regional sponsored and the introduction of a CSL of occupations. People seeking to migrate to
Australia who have skills or qualifications in one of the occupations on the CSL will be processed in a higher priority to
those applicants who do not. This will include all applications that are on hand at the time of the announcement as well
as any applications received in the future.

Q5 Are these changes temporary or permanent?

The skilled migration program is continually reviewed and assessed for its relevance and outcomes in light of the
economic and social needs of Australia. The program is modified as these needs change.

Q6 Will the program be capped, either officially or unofficially?

If the processing of priority categories does not consume all of the department’s processing resources, there are a
number of legislative based tools available to the minister to manage the skilled application pipeline, if necessary,
including suspension of processing or capping the number of visas to be issued.

Q7 Is there any difference in processing between onshore and offshore programs?

No, the new priority processing will affect onshore and offshore applications equally.

Q8 What occupations or industries are affected?

Occupations that are not included in the CSL will not be given priority processing unless applicants are sponsored by an
employer or sponsored or nominated by a state or territory government.

Q9 An employer has offered me a job in Australia. Will I get priority processing?

The priority processing only applies to those who have an employer willing to sponsor them for migration, not simply a job
offer. Applicants who are sponsored by an employer must apply for one of the employer sponsored scheme (ENS) visas.

Q10 An employer has offered to sponsor me. What should I do?

You will need to check your eligibility for an employer sponsored visa. The employer intending to sponsor you must also
meet certain requirements.

If you have applied for a GSM visa since 1 September 2007, you may be able to apply for an ENS visa without having to
pay a new application visa charge. You will have to complete another visa application form.

If you applied for a GSM visa before 1 September 2007, you may be able to be assessed for an ENS visa without having
to lodge a new application or pay a new application charge.

Applications for ENS visas will receive priority processing.

See: Employer Sponsored Workers

Q11 A State or Territory has agreed to nominate/sponsor me. What do I do?

You will need to provide your nominator/sponsor with your application reference details. Your nominator will then submit
a nomination form on your behalf to the department. If the nomination is successful your application will then be eligible
for priority processing.

Q12 My occupation is now on the CSL. What should I do?

You do not need to do anything. The department identifies those applications which are now prioritised and will advise
you when you are assigned a case officer.

Q13 I am an accountant but only have IELTS 6 and have not completed the Professional Year. How can I receive
priority processing?

Only accountants who have a minimum of 7 in each IELTS component or have completed the Professional Year program
under the sc485 visa qualify for priority processing under the CSL.

This means that if you want to have your application given priority, you have the option of sitting the IELTS test and
gaining a minimum of 7 in each component of the test, which is ‘proficient English’.

Once you have received your ‘proficient English’ IELTS results, you should contact the department on the post-lodgement
form to have your visa processed as a priority.

See: General Skilled Migration Post-Lodgement Enquiry Form

Q14 What is happening to the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL)?

There have been no changes to the points allocated for MODL. The MODL will be reviewed as necessary to determine
any changes required for its continued use for skilled migration purposes. Under the section 499 direction, General Skilled
Migration applicants who nominate an occupation from the MODL will receive priority processing after those applicants
who nominate an occupation from the CSL and those applicants sponsored or nominated by a state or territory
government.

Q15 When will the review of the MODL be undertaken?

It is expected that the review of the MODL will be undertaken in early 2009.

Q16 What subclasses have been affected by this announcement?

The introduction of the CSL and the changes to the processing priorities will affect applications for most GSM subclasses,
including those lodged after 1 January 2009 and those already lodged but not yet granted. Applicants for subclasses 485
and 887 will not be affected by this change.

Q17 How many grants were made in 2007-08 for skills that are now on the CSL?

During program year 2007-08, there were 23 424 grants made to all subclasses for occupations that are now on the CSL.

Q18 Where do agents/clients enquire about specific cases?

In the first instance, agents and clients should refer to the information available on the department’s website. This will
provide valuable background information on the changes and possible implications.

Where an agent or client’s question is not answered by the information available on the website, they can contact the
General Skilled Migration line:

• In Australia: 1300 364 613 for the cost of a local call

• Outside Australia: +61 1300 364 613 (charges applicable in your home country will apply).

Q19 What is the feedback mechanism for general queries about the change?

General enquiries about the changes should be referred to the information available on the department’s website. Where
more specific information is required, clients can contact the General Skilled Migration line:

• In Australia: 1300 364 613 for the cost of a local call

• Outside Australia: +61 1300 364 613 (charges applicable in your home country will apply).

Disclaimer: The above details is provided as information as is. for the most recent changes, refer to the web site of the department of immigration. for immigration related matters, it is best to consult a registered migration agent.

Try your hand at cooking: part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 08:06:00 +0000

Vermicelli Halwa:

Indian Cuisine:How To Make Sevia Kesari (Vermicelli Dessert)

Starters & Appetizers:How To Make Onion Bhaji

Indian Cuisine:How To Make Carrot Halwa

Source: Videojug.com

Try your hand at cooking: part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 05:17:00 +0000

Ginger Tea :

How to make tomato rasam:

Try your hand at cooking: part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Prasanth) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 03:00:00 +0000

one of the best things about studying abroad or your student life in australia is that you can try your hand at cooking. learning to cook is a very essential skill. if you try your hand at this and you like it, then it could actually become your favourite past time ! remember that people who cook well are greatly appreciated in their circle of friends...you can easily impress your friends or boss !

eventhough there are hundreds of how to make ______________? (any dish) video online, I felt these are worth watching and trying.

Source: showmethecurry.com !