On 16 June 2015, Minister for Education and Training, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, and Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, announced the introduction of a simplified international student visa framework (SSVF) to support Australia’s education services sector.
The changes are:
- reduction in the number of student visa subclasses from eight to two, and
- introduction of a simplified single immigration risk framework for all international students.
“We warmly welcome genuine international students and we are committed to improving and protecting the integrity of our immigration system,” Minister Pyne said.
Minister Cash said an improved approach to the administration of student visas as part of the SSVF will have clear benefits. The overall integrity of the student visa programme will be maintained, and the improved regulatory arrangements will avoid placing unnecessary burden or cost on education providers.
The SSVF will replace both the Streamlined Visa Processing (SVP) arrangements and the current Assessment Level Framework and will apply to all international students.
The Future Directions for Streamlined Visa Processing report was released by the Australian Government on 15 June 2015, following a period of extensive stakeholder consultation and a discussion paper to members of the Education Visa Consultative Committee as well as other key international education stakeholders.
REFERENCES
http://www.immi.gov.au/Study/Pages/review-student-visa-programme.aspx
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