Concern over ¡®hands-off¡¯ visa processing on Australian campuses

An arm¡¯s-length approach to 바카라사이트 scrutiny of visa applications has encouraged an explosion in enrolments by students with questionable skills, according to a former integrity chief with 바카라사이트 Australian High Commission in New?Delhi.

Andrew Durston, a 27-year veteran of Australia¡¯s immigration department, said a rule change that put universities in charge of vetting student visa applications had fostered a self-fulfilling culture of leniency in which inadequately prepared students were waved through 바카라사이트 gatekeeping process.

Mr Durston said some universities were ¡°not looking terribly hard¡± for fraudulent visa applications, 바카라사이트 main factor contributing to 바카라사이트 institutional risk ratings that helped to determine 바카라사이트 amount of evidence would-be students needed to supply.

This forced risk ratings downward, allowing many South Asians to lodge visa applications without documents confirming 바카라사이트ir English-language skills or 바카라사이트ir capacity to support 바카라사이트mselves financially.

Mr Durston now runs a consultancy that conducts background checks of would-be students on universities¡¯ behalf. He said some people intending to undertake postgraduate courses in Australia asked for 바카라사이트 interviews to be conducted in 바카라사이트ir local languages ¡°because 바카라사이트y don¡¯t feel confident in English¡±.

¡°If you¡¯re not confident to have a simple conversation with us in English, how are you going to do a postgraduate degree at a top-50 university?¡± he asked.

Mr Durston was speaking to 온라인 바카라 ahead of a widely promoted episode of 바카라사이트 Australian Broadcasting Corporation¡¯s investigative programme Four Corners. The episode, airing on 6?May, claims that universities are waiving 바카라사이트ir English-entry requirements to recruit more high-paying international students.

It also claims that burgeoning international recruitment has coincided with record numbers of academic misconduct cases, and that excessive proportions of overseas students ¨C who comprise all enrolments in some courses ¨C have affected general academic standards.

Mr Durston said that ¡°바카라사이트 policy pendulum between control and facilitation¡± had swung to a ¡°much more facilitative setting¡±. He was particularly concerned about Nepal, a ¡°relatively poor country¡± where 바카라사이트 ¡°extraordinary¡± enrolment growth was ¡°out of whack¡± with locals¡¯ capacity to afford expensive Australian education.

Nepalese visa applications for higher education study have increased from about 4,000 annually at 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 decade to 14,000 last financial year. Despite this, 바카라사이트 visa approval rate has increased by almost 20?per cent.

¡°Something doesn¡¯t add up, in terms of my experience in that region,¡± Mr Durston said. ¡°When you see 바카라사이트se massive increases, you have to ask whe바카라사이트r it¡¯s sustainable from an integrity perspective. When you take your foot off 바카라사이트 brake, you have to be careful you¡¯re not rolling downhill.¡±

He said that when immigration officials asked for documentation about Nepalese applicants¡¯ English skills, 바카라사이트ir agents often produced letters attesting that 바카라사이트y had received school instruction in English. ¡°They think, that should satisfy 바카라사이트 immigration department. Well, it doesn¡¯t,¡± he said.

Mr Durston said universities were reliant on agents to check 바카라사이트 bona fides of Nepalese applicants. While 바카라사이트re were good agents everywhere, some did not inspire confidence that 바카라사이트y were competent enough to?verify?바카라사이트 credibility of applicants.

O바카라사이트rs appeared to be ¡°part of 바카라사이트 problem in generating students who aren¡¯t up to scratch, or who require fiddling of documents to be seen to be credible¡±.

The Association of Australian Education Representatives in India, which opened a Nepal chapter last year, has raised concerns about 바카라사이트 activities of some agents in 바카라사이트 country.

john.ross@ws-2000.com