Australia's new government has changed the visa laws which benefit Indian students to get easy visa. According to the Student Visa Assessment Level Framework 2013 report, the Australian government is likely to streamline the student visa Assessment Level Framework (ALF). One of the proposals is to relax the financial requirements for student visa applicants from the AL (assessment level) for countries like India, Nepal and Pakistan.
"Assessment level under the ALF would be reduced from level five to three, while financial evidence for AL3 students would reduce from 18 months to 12 months, provided funds are from a close relative of the student applicant. This would mean students from a number of key markets would be able to apply for a student visa with up to A$40, 000 (approximately Rs.2.3 million) less in the bank," says Australia's Immigration and Border Protection Minister Scott Morrison.
The Australian education and training providers and other professionals engaged in the industry have, overall, welcomed the proposal to streamline the ALF.
According to industry experts, the previous Australian government's strict student visa policies led to the closure of dozens of privately-owned colleges. The last 45 years have also seen a steep fall in enrollments from India, which continues to be Australia's second largest source of international students. Even though the visa grant rate has increased dramatically, over 70 percent for Indian students in the last financial year, the number of students commencing studies in the country is still far from the levels reached in 2009.
According to the Department of Immigration statistics, in 2008-09, Indians are accounted for one in five of all student visa applications lodged (22 percent) and granted (20 percent), but in 2010-11 this had reduced to 14 percent and 12 percent respectively. As of June 30, 2013 there were 30,403 Indian students in Australia.
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