Recognised (Engineering) Graduates

The Skilled (Recognised Graduate) Visa is available to graduates who:

(a) completed a course in the period of 24 months ending immediately before the day on which the application is made; and

(b) at an institution specified by the Minister...for the award of a degree or higher qualification in a discipline specified.

From 30 October 2010 there will be 104 specified institutions, but the only discipline specified to date is engineering....so this is good news for (some) overseas engineering graduates.

The full list is in the legislative instrument which you can view by clicking here.

Creative commons attribution for the photograph.

Baird Review

The Baird Review was a review of the overseas education system commissioned by the Minister for Education. The report was released earlier this week.

Among its key recommendations are that the Education Services for Overseas Students Act (ESOS) be amended to:

1. Require providers to uphold the integrity of the student visa program and maintain appropriate support, English language entry levels and professional outcomes
2. Only allow providers to maintain registration if they meet a series of thresholds
3. Introduce financial penalties and clear standards
4. Require an independent complaints body
5. Ensure students can accurately compare potential study choices
6. Introduce financial penalties for providers whose offshore agents act unethically
7. Implement a unique identifier for each student

It is interesting to note the comments of the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship in his press release about the report:

"It is most pleasing to note Mr Baird's support for the Rudd Government's changes to the skilled migration program announced on 8 February 2010.

The skilled migration program changes will encourage overseas students to focus on obtaining a quality education from a high quality provider by removing incentives for students to apply for a course simply in the hope of being granted permanent residence."

The full report in PDF format is available by clicking HERE and you can read the Minister's press release HERE.

I am indebted to the Migration Institute of Australia for providing as a service to its members the summary of the key recommendations above.

Creative commons attribution for use of the photograph above: http://www.flickr.com/photos/carbonnyc/ / CC BY 2.0

Breaking the link

I have previously blogged about the difference between the "immigration outcome" and the "education outcome" as one of the factors which contributed to the problems being encountered by overseas students. It appears that the government was listening (or they had the same idea).

In a speech to parliament earlier this week in support of changes to the Education Services for Overseas Students Act ("ESOS Act"), labour MP, Kelvin Thomson blamed the uncontrolled growth (and the lack of quality that came with it) on the previous government's policy of facilitating applications for permanent residence by graduating foreign students. So while it's true that:

"Agents overseas have had a field day telling students that all they have to do is sign up for these courses in Australia, pay big fees, and they'll be guaranteed permanent residence here in Australia....and...[that] international students being bashed, and exploited, dodgy colleges ripping them off and going bankrupt"

The proposal is basically for a 2 year cooling off period - so the graduating students would be required to return to their home country (or at least leave Australia) for two years before being eligible to apply for permanent residence. It is argued that this will clean up the sector.

I don't doubt that this will probably stamp out lots of the dodgy operators but I'm not sure what impact it will have on "real" high quality university courses. Our universities have come to depend on the income that students generate. It would not be good for local students if university income was dramatically cut by this change. On the other hand, I can't see why people who have substantially invested in an Australian education shouldn't be given some incentive to stay. Nothing in immigration policy is ever easy!

The full text of Mr Thomson's speech is available on Hansard for 19 October (page 47) - click here.

Photo used under creative commons licence:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mklingo/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Welfare of International Students

All the submissions to the Senate's Inquiry into the Welfare of International Students have been published on the APH website.

The disparate views expressed only highlight what a difficult issue this is. Apart from the submissions made by various professional bodies (including the MIA and various universities and colleges) there are a range of individual submissions from foreign students. Some of those submissions recount stories of racism and bad experiences and others of "happy days". There are also a number of submissions from foreign students studying medicine who are disenchanted with their local career prospects.

Photo used under creative commons licence.

Which outcome? - education or migration

Since my last post about the adverse publicity received by migration professionals, I've been doing some more thinking about the problems faced by overseas students in Australia.

There are some clearly dishonest/disreputable practices going on. There are the "dodgy" colleges or course providers who are under resourced or over crowded can't deliver on what they promise. There are also the people perpetrating fraudulent english test results or fabricating job references. These people are ripping off foreigners and locals alike and should be prosecuted to the full extent that the law allows.

However, has government policy inadvertently created this problem? Many people choose to advance their education by studying overseas (if only I had the time or the resources to go to Oxford or Cambridge for a year) and then return to their own country with newly acquired knowledge and experience. Isn't the problem that the emphasis has shifted from achieving an education outcome to achieving a migration outcome. The introduction of the graduate student visa and the presence of trade occupations such as cook and hairdresser on the occupation in demand list, has encouraged the establishment of bad courses and colleges who have sold their wares on the expectation that if you do our course, you will be eligible for permanent residence.

This advertising has been very effective and many foreign students now have the expectation that they will be able to stay in Australia i.e. their study is a gateway to a whole new life, not just an opportunity to learn new things and go back to their home country to practise them! The balance has tipped in favour of the migration outcome rather than the education outcome.

Although it's true that it probably wasn't foreseeable that the unscrupulous would see it as a business opportunity, perhaps the introduction of the onshore graduate visa wasn't a great idea after all? Of course the flipside to that argument is that potential permanent residence is big incentive for some students to invest in their education in Australia. Unfortunately like all investments, there are good ones and not so good ones.