News

Reminder! The Australian government wants to reduce the number of visas from 99 to 10. What’s your say? MCA wants to remind its readers about the Australian Government’s Policy Consultation Paper – Visa Simplification: Transforming Australia’s Visa System. The Australian government is seeking views and opinions on Australia’s future visa system and you can contribute to this by giving your opinion. Your voice will help the Department of Immigration and Border Protection make Australia’s visa system, more responsive to country’s economic, social and security interests. You can provide your views to the Department through their online web form. Submissions can be provided until 15 September 2017. The key areas of consideration will be reducing the number of visas from 99 at present to approximately 10 visas, the delineation between temporary entry and long-term/permanent residence, the role a period of provisional residence could play in enhancing the integrity of the visa system and easing the burden on taxpayers; and ensuring that the visa system supports Australia as a competitive and attractive destination for temporary and longer-term entrants.

Australia demands equal immigration rights to EU citizens after Brexit Australia and other Commonwealth countries are demanding that their citizens should be granted the same rights as Europeans to live and work in the UK after Brexit, ahead of post-Brexit trade talks. Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop said her colleagues in government would be disappointed if the UK put more restrictive immigration conditions on Australian citizens than on those expected to be placed on arrivals from the European Union. Currently, Australians coming to Britain for work have to obtain a tier-two visa which allows them to stay for up to five years. They are only eligible for one if they have already been offered a skilled job and can prove that they are sponsored by their employer, while they must also have a minimum of £945 in savings and usually have to earn over £25,000 a year. Commonwealth members, especially Australia, New Zealand and Canada have warned the British government and Prime Minister Theresa May that the proposed plans could discriminate against their citizens. Should Commonwealth citizens be given the same rights as EU citizens in the UK?

Policy heavyweights to discuss TAFE future The Australian Education Union (AEU) is holding a national TAFE conference in Sydney on Friday 20 October. The purpose is to initiate discussion and debate around the future of TAFE and the importance of developing new public policy in the sector. Speakers include Professor Leesa Wheelahan (University of Toronto); Dr Jim Stanford (Centre for Future Work); Professor John Buchanan (University of Sydney Business School); Professor Valerie Braithwaite (ANU); Professor Anne Jones (Victoria University) and John Pardy (Monash University). The conference will bring together academics, researchers, policy makers, teachers and unions and will be a contribution to the development of new social policy in this crucial sector of Australian education.  More information is available here.

Student numbers slide following VET student loan crackdown The number of students accessing loans under the former VET FEE-HELP (VFH) scheme fell by 30% in 2016, following the federal government crackdown on unscrupulous training providers, according to official figures. The 2016 VET FEE-HELP Statistical Report, released by the Department of Education and Training shows: A total of 235,236 VFH-eligible students enrolled in 2016, down 24% from 2015 A total of 193,868 students received VFH assistance, down 29% Students borrowed $1.47 billion in VFH loans in 2016, down 50%TAFE Directors Australia CEO Craig Robertson expressed his concerns and said that they were now effectively seeing to remove the bubble and be back to regular rates of participation of those cohorts.

Australia Indonesia Youth Exchange Program: Applications now open Applications for the 2017-18 Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP) are now open. Australia and Indonesia established the program in 1981 to promote cross-cultural understanding and exchange among young Australians and Indonesians. It provides an opportunity for participants to experience firsthand the culture and society of each country. Application forms and further information are available online here.

World university rankings under threat if unis take a cut Six Australian universities are currently in the list of elite universities in a key global ranking but commentators warn funding cuts may weaken the country’s competitive position. Led by the universities of Melbourne and Queensland, Australia had 23 institutions in a list of the Top 500 published this week by the Shanghai-based Academic Ranking of World Universities. But the Group of Eight universities, which figure in the top 100, said the government’s plans for higher education — $2.7 billion in savings, including a 2.5 percent cut to funding — could harm the investment in research that pushed Australia up the rankings.

Citizenship changes deeply unfair, jeopardise Australia’s reputation: Diversity Council of Australia Diversity Council Australia has told a Senate Inquiry examining the proposed Citizenship Bill that the changes will see Australia lose a great deal of talent. DCA – a not-for-profit workplace diversity and inclusion advisor to business, argues that if the Government went ahead with a number of proposed changes, Australia would not have access to the talent it currently has. DCA says it’s particularly concerned about a proposed English language test in the Citizenship Bill.

Irish vet fails oral English test for skilled visa application An Irish vet failed to meet the requirements for a skilled migrant visa after she did not pass a language test, despite being a native English speaker and holding two degrees. The Department of Immigration, however, says she did not need to take the test in the first place. Dr Louise Kennedy says she took the test because it was otherwise impossible for her to reach the score required for the visa without sitting the English test. Dr Kennedy failed to make a score of 60 for the subclass 189 visa (which costs $3,670), meaning she was ineligible to apply. Instead she had to apply for the much more expensive spousal visa (which costs $7,000), and requires upfront payment. An equine veterinarian, she is based in Sunshine Coast, is married to an Australian and has been living there with her children for the last two years. And seems like Dr Kennedy is not alone. An Irish engineer who found himself being judged as not able to speak English fluently by an automated computer program has warned people seeking Australian visas to be wary of how their tests are marked. Matthew Kelly (34) did the Pearson (PTE Academic) English exam as part of his application process for an independent skilled immigrant visa when he was moving to Australia but scored poorly in the oral fluency and pronunciation sections of the exam.

Visa-free entry for Australians into Qatar Australia is one of the 80 countries whose nationals can now visit Qatar without obtaining a visa beforehand. The list of 80 countries includes Australia, Brazil, China, India, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States and all EU member countries. Officials in Qatar hope the move will spur travel to the country after the attempt by some of its neighbors – including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – to isolate it.

Government allows South Korean family to stay in Australia A Melbourne based South Korean family of five due to be deported have been granted the right to stay in Australia, following a last minute government intervention An SBS report said the Lee family have lived in Australia for nine years and were due to be deported to South Korea next month. The family who had moved to Australia in 2008 had been a victim of a scam losing $100,000 to a migration agent who later fled the country. Their ordeal prompted a campaign from the local community, who set up a petition calling for them to be allowed to stay. They also received support from their local Catholic community, with the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart lobbying the government on their behalf.