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A man who issued seven vocational education and training (VET) statements of attainment despite not being authorised to do so has been convicted and fined $3000 in the ACT Magistrates Court, following an investigation by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). In November 2015 Paul Purcell delivered a housekeeping training course as a pre-employment program to jobseekers in Canberra. He later signed seven documents which purported to be VET statements of attainment. The Chief Commissioner of ASQA, Mark Paterson said the organisation conducted an investigation about the statements of attainment following a complaint. Mr Purcell pleaded guilty to all seven offences and was convicted and fined.

Universities are being urged to block websites that sell essays, identify cheating “hot spots” and consider publishing data on breaches of academic integrity. Australia’s higher education watchdog – Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency – has unveiled new guidelines to tackle the issue. TEQSA chief executive Anthony McClaran said that breaches of academic integrity had broad implications and this needed to stop right away. He said cheating put the reputation of Australia’s higher education system at risk and could endanger employers and the integrity of qualifications. A recent survey by University of South Australia associate professor Tracey Bretag, who also helped with the guidelines, found that six per cent of Australian students engaged in cheating; and that 68 percent of academics had encountered what they suspected was cheating.

In an attempt to consolidate its visa processes, Immigration New Zealand may close several of its offshore and onshore branch offices, a statement by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment said.  The reviewal process includes: Specialising visa processing by sector Reducing the number of processing sites Increasing the number of visas processed onshore Implementing a new leadership model for the department This may also include closing down of offices in Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Bangkok, Moscow, New Delhi, Pretoria, Shanghai, Auckland Central and Henderson

More Aussies taking to route to New Zealand In the last 12 months – 25,000 people have migrated from Australia to New Zealand. Migration experts say that New Zealand’s economy is powering ahead as unemployment rates in New Zealand are currently sitting at around 5 percent, that compares with about 5.5 percent in Australia.

Family reunions: Government asked to introduce 5000 additional visa places Advocates have urged the government to provide an additional 5,000 visa places for refugees seeking family reunification. A new ReachTEL poll, commissioned by the Refugee Council of Australia (RCA) and Jesuit Social Services, found that most Australians support refugee family reunions. Currently, there are 13,750 visas available under the Special Humanitarian Program, which includes 5,000 for family reunions. RCA wants the government to introduce additional 5,000 visas for the family reunion.

Deadline for asylum seekers who came by boat over! Hundreds of asylum seekers, who came to Australia by boat in the previous government’s time, will now face deportation after the October 1 deadline to apply for a visa expired this week. Back in May, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton had announced that 7,500 asylum seekers who had come to Australia by boat during the previous Labor government had until October 1 to apply for a visa, or face deportation. Though most of them had made it to the deadline, there are still hundreds who will now lose government benefits – both monetary and accommodation.

€200,000 business studies scholarship for Australian students In an attempt to build new connections between Australia and Ireland over education, the Trinity Business School and the Ireland Funds Australia announced a new €200,000 scholarship fund on September 24th. The new scholarship is jointly funded by the Trinity and The Ireland Funds Australia and will fund students over the next five years. This will support Australian students who wish to do the masters’ in business administration.

SriLankan man, sick wife to be deported within weeks A SriLankan man, his wife and their 16-month-old will have to give up their attempts and dreams for a permanent residency in Australia and will soon be deported by the Department, who has not revealed the reason for visa application refusal. Eranda Ranasinghe Arachchige’s wife Lakmala Nissankage Harshani is being treated for a mental illness in a hospital, and the couple has already spent around $25,000 in their fight to secure an Australian permanent residency. Arachchige, 39, came to Australia as a student and he has a qualification and experience in hospitality. “My migration agent presented me a new contract of $11,000 to appeal. I didn’t have this much money,” he told the Herald Sun. Father Brian Collins from St Anthony’s Parish, Noble Park, where the family attends mass, has organised a supporting letter from Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart to be sent to Immigration Minister Mr Peter Dutton.

Australia 3rd most popular destination for international students Australia has been ranked as the third most favourite destination for international students. According to a Savills Australian Student Accommodation Market Report, international student growth is stronger than ever before as enrolments in higher education courses with student visas grew by 11 percent from 2015 to 2016. China (28%), India (11%), Republic of Korea (4%), Thailand (4%) and Vietnam (4%) are the top five countries of origin for international students studying in Australia. In 2016, the strongest growth in international student numbers in Australia came from Brazil (20%), Malaysia (18%), Nepal (16%), Hong Kong (10%) and Colombia (22%).

155,000 new foreigners make Australia home In the first three months of the 2017-2018 financial year, 155,000 foreigners have settled in Australia already. Migration experts are calling this a boost in net migration to a level that had not been seen since before the global financial crisis. According to The Australian, Australia’s growth rate is double that of the US and Canada and eight times the EU’s growth. As the government lifted the annual inflow of migrants from about 180,000 in 2015 to 231,000 in the year to March; almost 40 percent have already arrived in the first three months of this yea