Australia has made a major change in the rules for issuing visas to foreign students, due to which it has become more difficult for foreign students to get visas to study in Australia. Indians will be the most affected by this. Regarding these rules, Australian Home Minister Clare O'Neill said that these changes will reduce the pressure on the housing market a little. Migration in Australia had increased by 60 percent to 5,48,800 by September 30, 2023. From July 1, the government will close the way under which visitor visa and temporary graduate visa holders will no longer be able to apply for onshore student visas. In fact, some Indians in Australia often come through 'chor dwar', i.e., a tourist visa, and get a study visa by enrolling in a college there.
The number of Indian students in Australia crosses 1.5 lakh.
The number of international students living in Australia has increased from 30 thousand to more than 150,000 in 2022–23. More than 36,000 applications have been received from July 1, 2023, to the end of May 2024. In 2022, more than one lakh Indian students were studying in Australian institutions. This number was 1.22 lakh in the period from January to September 2023. Now they will have to spend more money to study in Australia. According to Australia's 2021 census, 9,76,000 Indians were living in the country.
First change: the visa fee increased from 40 to 90 thousand rupees.
The processing fee for an Australian visa has been more than doubled. This increase is about 125 percent. While earlier this fee was around Rs 39,546, now it has increased to Rs 89,118.
Second change: Students will have to keep more savings.
In the new visa policy, the savings amount required for a student to enter Australia has been increased. The Australian government has now made it mandatory for students to have more savings than before to bear the cost of living in Australia, which will be 75% of Australia's national minimum wage. Foreign students will have to show savings of at least Rs 16,29,964 to qualify for an Australian visa. The government says that this change is being made so that students can meet the necessary expenses during their studies in Australia. Although these changes were implemented on May 10, they have now been fully implemented, with new changes as of July 1.
Third change: the English test has become very difficult.
To get an Australian visa, it has now been made mandatory to score good marks in the English language test as well. The IELTS score for temporary graduate visa applicants has been increased from 6.0 to 6.5. Those who want to apply for this visa will have to score a minimum of 6.0 marks in this test. The government is preventing students from adopting such methods through which they can get their visa extended.
Fourth change: age of temporary graduate visa reduced
The Australian government has also reduced the age of temporary graduate visas (TGV) for students. Earlier, this age limit used to be 50 years, which has now increased to 35 years. This rule has also come into effect as of July 1.
Fifth change: visa applications are not possible while staying in Australia.
The Australian government has put another hurdle in the way of getting a visa. Now, applying for a visa in Australia is not valid. For this, one has to apply abroad, or migrants have to apply from their own country. Earlier, people who got visitor visas and temporary graduate visas used to apply for student visas while staying in Australia. This rule has also come into effect as of July 1.
Sixth change: Genuine student test implemented, very strict
The Australian government has added one more rule to the visa rules, and that is the Genuine Student Test. This test will identify the right students. This will replace the earlier Genuine Temporary Entrant. This will stop people who want to go to Australia on the pretext of a student visa.