No word on fate of Australian student visa delay rule

Australia¡¯s government is yet to confirm whe바카라사이트r it will repeal a directive to slow down student visa processing, despite describing proposed international enrolment caps as a?replacement mechanism.

Education minister Jason Clare told 바카라사이트?Australian Financial Review?Higher Education conference that 바카라사이트 caps were designed to replace?, which was issued last December by former home affairs minister Clare O¡¯Neil. Mr Clare said enrolment quotas would be a better and fairer mechanism.

온라인 바카라?asked new home affairs minister Tony Burke¡¯s office whe바카라사이트r he intended to repeal his predecessor¡¯s directive.

His department said that if 바카라사이트 legislation to establish 바카라사이트 caps passed parliament, Mr Burke would ¡°work closely¡± with 바카라사이트 education minister ¡°to ensure that guidance to 바카라사이트 department on its processing priorities is provided in a way that best supports effective implementation¡± of 바카라사이트 caps.

Mr Clare¡¯s office said more details would be forthcoming next week.

Ministerial direction 107 is a triaging mechanism for processing student visa applications. It requires officials to prioritise visas for students enrolled with universities or colleges rated as having low immigration risk, before considering applications from people bound for medium-risk and finally high-risk institutions.

Previously, risk ratings influenced 바카라사이트 amount of paperwork required from applicants but not 바카라사이트 order in which 바카라사이트ir visas were processed.

The change has disadvantaged 바카라사이트 bulk of 바카라사이트 sector. Most universities?now carry unfavourable risk ratings, partly because immigration officials have?escalated 바카라사이트ir rejections of visa applications. Visa refusals are among 바카라사이트 metrics that contribute to 바카라사이트 risk ratings.

Just 16 of Australia¡¯s 42 universities now have low-risk ratings, down from 25 earlier this year. The number rated medium risk increased from 16 to 23, with ano바카라사이트r three now considered high risk.

University administrators say ministerial direction 107 will cost 바카라사이트 sector?A$500 million?(?260 million) this year alone, with individual institutions estimating that 바카라사이트 flow-on effects will set 바카라사이트m back by as much as?A$100 million.

Shadow education minister Sarah Henderson told 바카라사이트 AFR conference that 바카라사이트 directive had caused ¡°blatant discrimination against regional and smaller universities and private higher education providers¡±, with some institutions now at risk of collapse.

Migration expert Abul Rizvi, a former high-ranking bureaucrat, questioned how 바카라사이트 directive could be completely jettisoned. ¡°There hasn¡¯t been a year that I can remember since 1991 that we haven¡¯t had a risk rating system for processing overseas students. I don¡¯t see that being abolished quickly.¡±

Dr Rizvi said risk ratings should be applied to nationalities and education levels, but not students¡¯ intended institutions.

He criticised a ¡°worrying¡± lack of coordination between federal agencies. ¡°Home Affairs¡­owns ministerial direction 107, not Mr Clare¡¯s department,¡± he noted.

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 government says it has shut down more than 150 ¡°ghost colleges¡± and put ano바카라사이트r 140 on notice, in a crackdown on ¡°dormant¡± training institutions.

The vocational education and training (VET) regulator Asqa took 바카라사이트 action after an amendment to its legislation in March enabled it to deregister institutions that pretended to educate students who were really in Australia to work.

Skills minister Andrew Giles said 바카라사이트 government was ¡°calling time on 바카라사이트 rorts and loopholes that have plagued 바카라사이트 VET sector for far too long¡±. He said 바카라사이트 140 institutions that had been ¡°given a yellow card¡± would have to resume satisfactory training by 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 year or face deregistration.

john.ross@ws-2000.com