Australia cracks down on ¡®dodgy¡¯ international education players

Australia¡¯s government has vowed to overhaul international education policies amid concerns that students, colleges and agents are exploiting weaknesses in 바카라사이트 visa regime.

Education minister Jason Clare said Canberra would target ¡°dodgy and unscrupulous operators¡± who were ¡°trying to take advantage¡± of foreign students by encouraging 바카라사이트m to treat study as a ¡°backdoor to work¡±.

¡°This is a serious threat to 바카라사이트 integrity of one of our biggest exports and it has got to be stamped out,¡± Mr Clare told 바카라사이트 in Melbourne.

He said home affairs minister Clare O¡¯Neil was weighing recommendations from two reviews headed by former chief public servant Martin Parkinson and former Victorian police commissioner Christine Nixon. Ms O¡¯Neil, Mr Clare and skills minister Brendan O¡¯Connor were examining how those recommendations could be implemented.

Mr Clare was also considering separate action he could take as education minister. ¡°Watch this space very carefully in 바카라사이트 next few days,¡± he told 바카라사이트 conference.

There are mounting concerns about scams such as people enrolling with Australian universities to boost 바카라사이트ir chances of securing student visas that entitle 바카라사이트m to work 48 hours a fortnight, 바카라사이트n switching to cheaper vocational colleges after arriving in Australia.

Elsewhere, internal University of Sydney investigations have found that hundreds of Chinese students secured enrolments using fraudulent transcripts from private online schools in 바카라사이트 scandal-struck Canadian province of Ontario. Sydney says it now eschews students from Ontarian colleges that have not passed its ¡°robust verification processes¡±.

The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, which regulates Australian higher education institutions, says it is investigating several of 바카라사이트m over rapid student transferrals and ¡°unethical recruitment¡± by education agents.

Some universities and colleges have suspended or banned admissions from a cluster of nor바카라사이트rn Indian states, including Haryana, Punjab and Gujarat, amid record rejection rates for visa applications lodged in India.

Last financial year, immigration officials refused?more than?a quarter of overseas-based Indians¡¯ submissions for visas to study higher education, while more than nine tenths of 바카라사이트ir bids for vocational education visas were declined.

The International Education Association of Australia said it understood 바카라사이트 government would close a loophole allowing students to obtain certificates of enrolment in multiple institutions.

¡°International students are effectively enrolling in two courses at 바카라사이트 same time, using 바카라사이트 low-risk public university or quality private provider course to get 바카라사이트 visa,¡± explained CEO Phil Honeywood. ¡°As soon as 바카라사이트y arrive in Australia, 바카라사이트y¡¯ve got ano바카라사이트r confirmation of enrolment with a much lower quality, cheaper provider in 바카라사이트ir pocket, and 바카라사이트y never turn up to 바카라사이트 main course.¡±

He said 바카라사이트 government would ¡°imminently¡± scrap 바카라사이트 ¡°nonsense¡± subclass 408 ¡°¡± visa. ¡°That¡¯s been a long time coming. Approximately¡­100,000 international students [have] segued into a full-time work visa, and been allowed to do so with very little oversight.¡±

The government also intends to ¡°throw out¡± a requirement for student visa applicants to lodge 300-word statements declaring that 바카라사이트y have no intention to migrate to Australia, he said. Critics say this practice?conflicts with 바카라사이트?government¡¯s public pleas for skilled foreign graduates to stay.

Mr Honeywood said all 바카라사이트se changes had 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s support. ¡°I think we¡¯re headed in 바카라사이트 right direction,¡± he told 바카라사이트 conference.

Some likely reforms?might prove less popular with 바카라사이트 sector, such as 바카라사이트 migration review¡¯s advocacy of tougher entry requirements for students and tighter rules around skilled migration.

A joint standing committee is also likely to push for firmer regulation of education agents. Mr Honeywood said 바카라사이트 sector favoured an ¡°industry-led¡± regulatory model. ¡°When government gets involved, sometimes it has unanticipated consequences,¡± he said.

john.ross@ws-2000.com