Top Student Cities of Australia – 2017-18

Australia is famous for its golden beaches, oceanic weather, spectacular wildlife, stunning landscape, and of course it’s outstanding educational institutions. It comes as no surprise that this country stands as one of the most popular study destinations of the world. Students from India, China, Philippines, and a lot of other countries come to study and live here.

To see into which cities are the most student-friendly in Australia, we looked at the 2017-18 QS world rankings, amongst other things, of the best Australian student cities. And here’s what we found:

(Source: Top Universities) 

Melbourne

Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne, has frequently been named as one of the most liveable cities in the world. Let’s look at the reasons why:

• This city is one of the most diverse ones, in terms of both its people and economy.
• Many of the largest business organizations of the country are headquartered in this city.
• There are 8 world-class universities based in Melbourne, giving students a wide range of education choices.
• Referred to as the country’s sporting and cultural capital, students here get ample options in terms of career as well as recreation.
• Students find a host of cafes, restaurants, malls, beaches, and such to hang out.
• Melbourne has numerous venues that host live music events, comedy shows, etc. regularly. Students love attending them!
• Then there are sporting events too, like the Australian Open, and Formula One Racing.
• Some of the unique attractions include the piers of the Mornington Peninsula where one can swim with seahorses, Port Phillip Bay where you can see penguins, and the likes.
• A high standard of living and an enviable academic life that Melbourne offers, it also costs a bit too much. Here’s a report on the latest data, on yearly expenditure of undergraduate international students to give you an idea of the cost of living in this city:

(Source: Expatistan)

Sydney

The city that boasts of the largest economy in the country, Sydney is witness to thousands of students coming every year to fulfil their dreams from around the globe. Let’s see some of the things that make Sydney such a desirable student city:

• A high standard of living and a high employability rate – these features combine to give this city a really high quality of life.
• Featuring no less than 5 internationally recognized universities, Sydney has no dearth of options in terms of education.
• Also referred to as the financial centre of Australia, many of the largest organizations of the country are based out of Sydney.
• The city’s culture comes alive through its museums, theatres, and concerts.
• Housing koala bears and wild populations of kangaroos, beautiful beaches and a lot of green spaces, one just can’t miss out on this city’s rich nature and wildlife.
• Known for being the most expensive city of the country, here’s a preview of an average cost of living in Sydney:

(Source: Expatistan) 

Brisbane

Brisbane, also known as a ‘new-world’ city, houses a truly wide and thriving multicultural environment. But, what else makes Brisbane list on the top 100 student cities in the world? Let’s have a see:

• This one’s the third most populous city of Australia, with the international students and tourists forming a big part of its multicultural society.
• Brisbane is home to some of the best universities, with at least 4 featuring in the top 100 across the world. And offering about 9000 courses at the Bachelor, Master and PhD level is no mean feat at all!
• The city has a prominent art, and sports scene that includes a multitude of cultural and water sporting events that take place here.
• Some of the unique experiences that you can expect to be a part of are the Annual Buddha Birthday Festival, its Moreton Bay and Islands, and the chance to fly over the city in a hot air balloon.
• With low tuition fee and great accommodation available at reasonable costs, Brisbane is known for being an affordable city for students. Here’s a table that shows the average cost of living in Brisbane, as according to the latest data:

(Source: Expatistan)

Canberra

The capital city of Australia has its name derived from the word ‘canberry’, literally meaning a ‘meeting place’. And it really is a place that sees the convergence of a different people, and various cultures. But what makes it great in terms of being student-friendly? Let’s have a look:

• While Canberra is not too large a city, it never seems overcrowded. One doesn’t usually come across any traffic jams here.
• But even though it’s a small city –it’s nevertheless an interesting place to be.
• Local universities of Canberra, two of which have a top global ranking, see a yearly student intake in tens of thousands, with about a fourth of them being from foreign countries.
• There are many places and activities that are exclusive in their attraction to Canberra – like the Captain James Cook Memorial, the annual Barassi International Australian Football Youth Tournament, a man-made lake right in the city centre, and various nature reserves.
• Costly in general, but economical in comparison to say Sydney and Melbourne, this is the estimated weekly cost for a student living off the campus in Canberra:

(Source: Expatistan) 

Adelaide

Fifth on the list is the fifth largest Australian city, Adelaide. Let’s take a look at what this city offers its students in terms of education, recreation, and more:

• A throbbing urban life, picturesque surroundings, and the chance to lead an outstanding academic life, is what Adelaide has in store for its students.
• At least 3 local universities here are known to be amongst the best in the global arena.
• When it comes to cultural activities, it’s hard to beat Adelaide. Two of the many local festivals – Adelaide Festival of Ideas, and Adelaide Festival of Arts, are proof to just that.
• Swimming with the dolphins in the Glenelg area, or visiting the Kangaroo Island are some of the other unique things one can do here.
• Students also find themselves enjoying hiking, cycling, and wildlife watching at the Adelaide Hills; or go see a cricket match with friends at the Adelaide Oval.
• When it comes to cost of living, here’s the data collected recently, in terms of a student’s expenditure, who’d be living off the campus:

(Source: Expatistan)

Perth

A wee bit expensive, but nevertheless an awesome student city, Perth features sixth on the list. Let’s see what makes it so awesome:

• All the four local universities in the city provide top-quality education.
• With ocean to the west and desert to the east, one finds this city a bit isolated.
• Hot and dry summers, and wet and cold winters give Perth a Mediterranean climate.
• Cost of living is quite high here.
• A more quiet and isolated city, compared to others, this one is known for its beaches and amazing parklands.
• A city that’s growing at a great pace, and offering its students newer opportunities with passing times, it’s also important to have a decent idea of how expensive it really is for a student living off the campus in this city:

(Source: Expatistan)

Gold Coast

One of the most popular tourist destinations of Australia, Gold Coast is also increasingly becoming one of the most loved cities by the student population there. So, let’s take a look at what makes Gold Coast so special:

• This city is known for its sprawling beaches, amazing waterways, and sub-tropical climate.
• One of the best things about this city is its weather – especially during the academic months. The pleasant climate is definitely an attraction for the students coming here.
• A few of the most prestigious universities of the country are housed in this city.
• Students find a lot of options in terms of visiting theme parks, bushwalking, and city entertainment.
• Students find Gold Coast a bit cheaper compared to many other cities, and here’s some latest data that shows the average cost of living for a student living here:

(Source: Expatistan)

We saw this year’s cost-of-living data tabulated for each student city above.

Based on the same, we have here the ranking of Australia’s major university cities – from the cheapest city to the most expensive one, for the year 2017:

 (Source: Expatistan)

We also feel that a couple of the student cities in Australia do deserve an honourable mention!

So here they are:

We call a city perfect for its students, because of its exceptional education system, safe environment, amazing people, and unique recreational activities. And based on these parameters, Australia is definitely a rich country with a lot of cities setting a bar for being ideally student-centric.

With so many options to sieve through, we hope we could help you pinpoint the city of your choice. Next, you can check out our other blog post giving an overview of the Australian universities that feature amongst the best around the world. 

Further, if you are looking to tap the opportunity to Settle in Australia, then the Overseas Education Consultants at Aussizz Group can provide you with appropriate assistance. You can reach us on call, e-mail or visit

The long awaited news is out. Australian Government Department of Home Affairs has released the updated occupations lists applicable for various temporary and permanent skilled visas as effective from 1st July 2017.

As announced in April by the Turnbull government, the occupation list will be updated every six months to reflect the skills that are actually needed in the labour market.

The Australian government has worked closely with the Department of Employment and the Department of Education and Training along with extensive research and consultation with the industry to update occupations on the list.

The following General Skilled Migration Visas will have to refer to the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL):

• Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent Visa)
• Subclass 489 (Skilled Regional (Provisional) Visa) – the ones who do not have state nomination or territory government agency nomination
• Subclass 485 (Temporary Graduate visa)

The following General Skilled Migration Visas will have to refer to the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL):

• Subclass 190 (Skilled—Nominated Visa)
• Subclass 489 (Skilled—Regional (Provisional) visa)

Queensland, South Australia, and Canberra have also published the separate list providing the open occupations that the aspiring applicants can refer to apply for skilled visas. Additionally, there are various changes introduced related to the age, English language requirements and criminal checks concerning different visa subclasses. You can read the updates in our next blog where we have mentioned the significant changes that were brought into effect 1st July and are anticipated by the Department of Home Affairs.

At Aussizz Group, our immigration consultants carefully monitor the changes and take care how it affects the applicants. We have an extensive experience to assist thousands of clients with the migration visa applications. Consider getting your profile assessed with us to know the best options for you. A minor discrepancy can cost refusal of the visa; a chance you would want to avoid.

Getting into a long queue, going through a security check, asking for an outgoing passenger card on the airline counters, finding the spot to fill it and depositing it in the drop box located after departure Smartgate.

It’s the process that vexed people when leaving Australia, in turn, adding a negative point to the overall Australian experience.

Good news is you don’t have to go through this anymore!

From 1^st July, 2017, the paper-based passenger card will be obsolete in an attempt to make the border clearance process seamless and secure.

The number of international travellers in Australia is anticipated to rise up to 50 million annually by 2020 which called for a better organisation and reliable automated system. This organisation will be an effective way to manage and make the border clearance a faster, integrated process.

Majority of the information of each passenger is already available via their airline’s Advance Passenger Information System (APIS). The data from previous trips and passport details which is present in the database will also be assembled and utilised.

The Department of Home Affairs worked with the ABS and Tourism Australia to come up with better amends in relation to the passenger cards. It has come to the decision of removing of the outgoing passenger cards after ascertaining and testing out the alternatives for the data sources of the passengers.

The incoming passenger card, on the contrary, still needs to be submitted by the travellers arriving in Australia. It is again, expected to be scrapped by the end of 2018.

For those who are not aware of the Passenger Cards, here is the brief overview:

A passenger card is a form that represents passenger’s identity and serves as a record of their entry to and departure from Australia.

An Incoming Passenger Card (IPC) needs to be submitted by the travellers entering Australia.

An Outgoing Passenger Card (OPC) needs to be submitted by the travellers departing Australia.

The records from these cards have been maintained since long (around 1965) and the Australian Tax Office has access to it. In cases of disputes, while challenging the claims made by the people of not being Australia resident and hence not liable for taxes, these cards have been used as evidences of the individual’s status.

For more information on passenger cards, feel free to get in touch with our immigration consultants today.

The Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS) 187 Visa program will undergo major changes in March 2018, following similarities to that of which has been announced for the 457 visa overhaul.

Changes in requirements make it more selective and therefore tougher than ever for a candidate to obtain direct permanent residency in regional areas. The three major changes are in relation to occupations, experience requirement, and reduced age limit.

BACKGROUND:

Under the current rules for Direct Entry 187 Visa, direct Permanent Residency is granted to applicants who are sponsored to work in a nominated occupation for at least 2 years for an employer in a regional postcode.

OCCUPATIONS LIST:

The current Regional List (RSMSOL) boasts 673 occupations. However, as of next March, 187 visa applicants will be restricted to the newly released MLTSSL, which currently has 184 occupations only. Additional occupations may also become available to support regional employers to be able to hire talents from across the globe under RSMS. With hundreds of occupations soon to be unavailable to the RSMS program, it is evident that thousands of people will no longer be eligible under regional employer nomination arrangements.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Occupation changes aside, the next major change is imposing a 3-year relevant post qualification experience requirement to the 187 visa subclass. This change will mean that from March 2018, many recent graduates will be unable to access such a pathway. The current rules (until March 2018) allow an application to be made if you have no experience, just as long as the labour market testing proves that you are the most suitable applicant.

AGE:

Currently, applicants cannot be older than 49 years of age, however, as of March 2018, this will be reduced to an age limit of 45. Applicant are required to have post study work experience to apply but the age limit is reduced, which dramatically shortens the window to apply for 187 visa (as with 186 Direct Entry visa).

Additionally, sponsoring employers will need to pay a contribution to the Skilling Australians Fund from March 2018 onwards. For smaller businesses having a turnover under 10million AUD, it is a contribution of $3,000, and for all other businesses with turnover over 10million AUD, the contribution is $5,000. Although, a requirement directly for the sponsors, this too will indirectly affect potential applicants as employers might not be as willing to sponsor due to these mandatory contributions of significant financial value. Presently, sponsoring employer do not need to show that they have met the training benchmark for RSMS. The TSMIT (Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold) will also come into effect.

It is recommended that applicants willing to apply under this visa, finalise and lodge their RSMS applications without delay, remembering that there are three stages to the lodgement (RCB, Nomination, and then Visa Application). Please note that the current processing times for the 187 visa is around 14 months and that in July 2017 there will be a 1.9% increase to the application fees.

In case of any doubts or queries related to 187 Visa, you can post the same online on Aussizz Group Forum. 

Source: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/WorkinginAustralia/Documents/reforms-australia-permanent-employer-sponsored-migration-programme.pdf

While the recent abolition of 457 visa along with the major changes to citizenship requirements seem to be the last straw for visa applicants or overseas workers in Australia, the updates in the visa application charges also joined the bandwagon.

The Visa Application Charges (VAC), as you may know, is the amount of money in Australian dollars (AUD) that is prerequisite to pay for a visa application (if there are no exemptions applied).

The charges are generally payable in two instalments wherein the first instalment is required to be paid when the visa application is made while the second instalment is paid before the grant of the visa.

On Tuesday, 9^th May 2017, the treasurer of Australia, Scott Morrison announced the proposed changes made to the visa application charges as a part of 2017-18 budget.

From July 1^st, 2017, the current visa application charges will rise in coherence with the forecast Consumer Price Index (CPI) and become more expensive.

The increase in the fees is rounded to the nearest $5 and will be indexed annually. It will affect all the visa application lodged on or after 1^st July 2017.

Please note

• The indexation will only be applied to the first instalment of the visa application fees and not the second instalment.
• The indexation of 1st instalment applies to both primary and secondary applicants.

Given below is the list of fee changes in the Australian visas that will be effective from 1^st July, 2017. Take a look:

Table A – Visa Subclasses Indexed

Note: N/A – Refers to both Nil and Not applicable items.

Table B – New Products

For more information on visa application charges, feel free to get in touch with us Today!

Dear International students!!!

Have you wondered why do you need an education consultant? How they can help you in equipping yourself better for a promising career. If you are wondering why these poignant questions are raised here, there is a very simple reason for it. No one had answered these questions before to the student community.

International students have fallen into a habit to solicit advice from education consultants without understanding what more can they do for you? This is simply because no one has attempted to define their role in your student life and how they can mentor you to make better career decisions.

Hence, without much ado, we are going to delve into this topic and explore why you need an education consultant in this first entry to the Aussizz student corner section.

Who is an education consultant?

• A person who has ample knowledge on various education and career opportunities.
• They provide solutions by identifying student needs. They will help you customize and design your Master career plan.
• They are accredited to provide the right education solutions by the professional associations within the education industry.
• They will engage in measures to maximize the education outcomes to ensure student success.

What can they do for International students?

Education Consultants lend a vision for International students who are harboring hopes of studying abroad in faraway places by being the bridge between students and their education destination.

They can explain the cultural difference that an international student would come to expect and prepare them better for the experience.

With countless knowledge about career opportunities and education pathways available for international students, they can help you make an informed decision and help address student expectations.

They can help students in other practical things like saving money (by helping students avail for scholarships and bursaries), cultural exposure (by organizing city tours),preparation to study abroad (by arranging pre-departure and post arrival orientation sessions) and give a slice of international student life (by organizing university study tours).

How can they help you during emergency situations?

Since Education consultants guide students every step of the way, they function as student guardians when a student is in an entirely new country. They can help put away worries of parents whose child is studying abroad by being an emergency contact under unexpected situations like sickness, flight cancellation etc.

They can mainly help students by educating them about what is the right thing to do when it comes to academic emergencies such as

• How to avail for extra help when you are lagging behind in terms of course progress?
• What can do when your enrolment gets cancelled due to unforeseen reasons?
• What sort of procedures an international student has to follow if there is an emergency situation that compels them to return back to their home country temporarily
• How can they guide students towards the right path when a certain deadline is past., in case of visa renewal date or a course intake date.

How can they help students specifically for visa related matters?

Visa matters can lead to complicated life situations if a student is not guided correctly. It is a crucial advisory role where the right consultants can ensure that your student life is trouble free with no black dot on your immigration history.

They can help you specifically to,

• Understand and help meet criteria’s for the grant of a successful student visa
• Help interpret the conditions put on your visa and how to follow them diligently
• Understand and excel in curial interview based criteria such as genuine temporary entrant (GTE). A personal touch in preparing for academic interview with universities and with immigration authorities will help boost the confidence of an international student and goes a long way in securing the visa for the student.
• Make students understand their obligations as a student visa holder and how to lead a spot free international student life.
• Help them with extending their student visas onshore by giving them right advice.

Not to forget how they can function as your friend and your first contact onshore too. A Study abroad Consultants can help you lend a caring hand to organize accommodation, overcome culture shock, help you socialize with networking opportunities and make you part of their social circle to overcome loneliness and inhibitions. 

At Aussizz Migration and Education Consultants, we encourage international students to choose the right professional advice in laying the building blocks for a strong career abroad. Extending this thought further, we welcome all international students to connect with us to grow further.

In recent times, Nursing has become one of the thriving career pathways for an International student to embark on. Nursing professionals are consistently well-paid and it is of the most bankable occupations in terms of graduate outcomes.  Adding to that, it is a well-respected job that serves the community.

But do you have what it takes to break in to this field? There are certain pre-requisite qualities one needs to become a nursing practitioner. A strong foundation in mathematics and/or biological sciences, a disposition to care, quick thinking and ability to work under fast paced-stressful environments are some of the basic necessities to pursue a career in Nursing.

This blog entry aims to educate aspiring students on nursing studies, the different types of specialisation within Nursing, university choices to study a Nursing course, points of entry to enter a Nursing study pathway and current local employment trends for Nursing.

Courses and Specialisations:

Most Nurses find employment in a clinical or hospital setting. However, there is a wide area of unexplored healthcare setting where nurses play an indispensable role. Many Nurses also find employment in community care, education, schools, pharmaceutical companies, health administration within the government as well NGO sector. There are also wide range of specialisation within the core clinical practice such as emergency care, aged care, midwifery and intensive care that one could specialise in by choosing the right majors within their course work. All courses are a mixture of theoretical course work and practical clinical placements which puts a perspective of what a job of a nurse is, in a real world industry setting.

Types of Nurses:

Nurses in Australia are broadly classified into two types.

• Registered Nurse or RN
• Enrolled Nurse or EN

Registered Nurse or RN:

An RN is required to complete a tertiary qualification at Bachelors level for duration of three years. A registered nurse is responsible for assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating nursing care for patients across community, residential or hospital settings. It requires a University level of education and certain amount of critical thinking and research skills at a Bachelors or Masters Level to perform this role adequately. Additionally, RN can play an active role in nursing administration by supervising and coordinating the work of Enrolled Nurses and other health care workers.

Enrolled Nurse or EN:

An EN is required to complete a Diploma level of education in Nursing for a minimum duration of 18 months to 2 years. An enrolled Nurse is educated at a Vocational Education and training sector (VET) level and hence they combine a more robust practical skill set with competent theoretical knowledge to provide care for patients. They normally work under RN’s and their job role can be described as  providing nursing care to patients in a variety of health settings under the supervision of Registered Nurses.

Entry points to enter a Nursing study pathway:

An aspiring learner can hope to break into a Nursing study pathway at three levels

• Diploma
• Bachelors
• Masters

At a Diploma level:

Upon finishing year 12 or senior/ higher secondary level education in Australia or in your home country, one can apply to study Diploma of Nursing at TAFE’s and Universities across Australia. However, in many cases Nursing courses require a mature age entry. This means students have to be above 18 years of age. A special approval from the academic faculty has to be sought to enrol in a Nursing program when a course taker is less than 18 years of age. Another prerequisite in most cases is also mathematics taken as a compulsory unit in year 12 to gain entry at a Diploma level. If a student is less than 18 years of age, it is good to enrol in a CERT III in Individual support or ageing support as a precursor course before starting the Diploma program.

At a Bachelor’s level

An international student can enter a Bachelor of Nursing course upon completing year 12 in their home country. It is important that the student has a good grade point of average across STEM indicative subjects (Maths, Physics, Chemistry, biology, general sciences etc) and also have good English competency in the range of IELTS overall 7 with no individual score less than 7 or the equivalent scores set up the University for other tests such as OET, PTE etc to ensure a direct entry into the course.

At a Masters level:

A student can also study a Master of Nursing program at various Universities after coming from a non-graduate background where their majors at a Bachelors level is largely unrelated to Nursing. This allows students who have completed different courses at Bachelors level to become a Nursing practitioner by doing a two years Master’s program.

 An example of this scenario is when students who have completed Bachelor of Social work, Bachelor of community services, Bachelor of pharmacy, Bachelor of physiotherapy, Bachelor of dentistry or dental sciences or a Bachelor of science (biotechnology, microbiology etc)  gaining an entry to study a Master of Nursing program. This allows allied health professionals to transition into nursing field without undertaking a longer 3 year Bachelors’ degree to become an RN.

Some of the Universities offering Nursing programs at Masters Level include

• University of Melbourne – Master of Nursing science
• Monash University – Master of Nursing practice
• University of New England – Master of Nursing practice

Average costs to study nursing program across various institutions:

(Data from reputable sources such as the good universities guide.com) Confirm with University also  as figures only reflect an average)

Job market trends for Nursing:

Wages for Nursing vary according to location, qualifications, experience and seniority. Nurses tend to earn an average salary of AUD $61,000 per annum. Below chart throws light on nursing wages across all states in Australia depending on levels of career progression.

Enrolled Nurse Wages:

For EN, Victoria pays the least at entry level. QLD and NT offer the best overall wages (Data from job sites and Healthtimes.com.au). Students can study Nursing courses at QLD or NT or move to QLD and Northern territory upon graduation to ensure maximum graduate outcomes

Registered Nurse Wages:

Trends continue along the same lines for RN with many crossing the AUD 100,000 mark as they gain expertise and seniority at administrative, managerial and operational levels

For more information on, university specific entry criteria and the best way to qualify for an entry, contact Education Team at Aussizz.

If you have any further queries, feel free to Contact Us!

In an important update to Australian work force and businesses, Prime Minister Mr Malcolm Turnbull has scrapped controversial Temporary Work Visa 457 sub class.

Temporary Skills Shortage Visa will replace the 457 visa from March 2018 and there will be two categories.

Short Term Stream

• This stream will have visa validity of 2 years and capacity of one onshore visa renewal under the Short-Term stream.
• Visa fees for this visa stream would be $1150
• STSOL will apply to this visa stream which includes around 435 occupations. Regional Area employer will have some flexibility with additional occupations available to them.
• English requirements remains the same as current 457 visa which is Overall 5 bands with minimum of 4.5 in each.
• Genuine Temporary Entrant requirements will apply
• 2 Years of relevant work experience is required for this visa.

Medium Term Stream

• This stream will have visa validity of 4 years compare to other 2 years and visa fees would be $2400.
• This stream will have capacity for visa renewal onshore and a permanent residence pathway after three years under the Medium-Term stream.
• Less number of occupations available to nominate in this stream as this is going to be high skilled shortage occupations. This list will be called MLTSSL and it replaces current Skilled occupation list.
• English requirements has been increased to each 5 bands for this category.
• 2 Years of relevant work experience is required for this visa.

Common requirements for eligibility in both categories.

• Work Experience – at least 2 years of relevant work experience
• Labour Market Testing will be mandatory which means reports and all.
• Employers must pay market salary rate to this employees which meets minimum of Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold $53,900 for now.
• Australian Federal Police Clearance or Penal Clearance will be required
• A non-discriminatory work force test to ensure that Australian employers are not misusing the program and discrimination against Australian workers.
• Further changes in training benchmark requirements to tighten it up.

In the biggest shocker, the permanent residence eligibility period will be extended from two to three years.

This new visa is part of the Government’s significant reform package to strengthen the integrity and quality of Australia’s temporary and permanent employer sponsored skilled migration programmes.

Department of Home Affairs has also changed the Skilled Occupation List to Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) with immediate effect.

You must nominate an occupation on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) if you are applying for any of the below:

• Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
• Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489) (unless nominated by a State or Territory Government)
• Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) – Graduate Work Stream.

Previously called Consolidated Sponsored Occupation List ( CSOL ) is now changed to Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL)

You must nominate an occupation on this Combined list of eligible skilled occupations if you are applying for any of the below:

• Employer Nominated Scheme (subclass 186) – Direct Entry Stream
• Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)
• Skilled Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 489) – if nominated by a State or Territory Government
• Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457)
• Training visa (subclass 407)

You can access the STSOL here – https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/Trav/Work/Work/Skills-assessment-and-assessing-authorities/skilled-occupations-lists/combined-stsol-mltssl

What this means to General Skilled Migration ?

• All occupations removed from STSOL will not be eligible for any General Skilled Migration Category or Employer Sponsored Visas.

Regional Employers

Concessions for regional Australia will continue to be available: Employers in regional Australia will continue to have access to occupations under the temporary and permanent visas, to reflect their skills needs.

Existing permanent visa concessions for regional Australia, such as waiving the nomination fee and providing age exemptions for certain occupations, will be retained. Consideration will be given to expanding the occupations in regional Australia that are exempt from the age requirement.

The implementation of these reforms will begin immediately and will be completed in March 2018.

Here is a list of removed occupations  – https://www.mia.org.au/documents/item/1112

All the aspiring international students out there!

Are you going to apply for the Australian Student Visa?

Then make sure you sit up and take notice to the new changes made in the student visa framework of Australia.            

It is evident to all that under the simplified student visa framework that came into effect from July 2016, all the countries and the CRICOS (Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Educations) registered education providers are allocated an immigration risk rating between one and three.

Once in every six months, the immigration risk rating of education provider is used to update the combined immigration risk rating of education provider and the country.

This rating is then used to streamline financial and the English evidentiary requirements for student visa applicants with an aim to bring more genuine students into the system and ensure fair recruitment practices.

The education provider’s immigration risk rating for the 12-month period (ending 31 December) is determined in the following March while for the 12-month period (ending 30 June) is determined in the following September.

On Friday, 31^st March 2017, the Department of Home Affairs has updated the immigration risk rating for countries and education providers.

The changes in the risk ratings means the evidence required for the English language and financial capability may also change.

Hence, all the students submitting visa application on or after 31^st of March need to use the online Document Checklist Tool carefully to get a clear indication of the evidence required for the financial and English evidentiary requirement.

To those, who are not aware of the Immigration Risk Rating, here is the brief overview:

Using a weighted average, Immigration risk ratings are calculated on the basis of total number of international students (including applicants and student visa holder both) with confirmation of enrolment (CoE) for the principal course of study from the education provider.

Here’s how it is calculated:

Immigration Risk Rating Indicators

Education providers, who have acquired the lowest immigration risk rating, can have the benefits of streamlined evidentiary requirements for all countries. While the ones with highest immigration risk can only get such benefits for students form the lowest immigration risk countries.

In case of education providers with streamlined evidentiary requirements, the student visa applicants are not required to provide evidence for their financial capacity but can satisfy the Department of Home Affairs by declaration. However, the Department has all the rights to ask for more evidence, depending upon the requirements of case.

In regular evidentiary requirements, the student visa applicants are generally required to provide documentary evidence of their financial and English language capacity.

Current Immigration Risk Rating of few countries (Effective from 31^st March 2017 till Sep 2017):

For more information about the changes in the immigration risk ratings or the evidentiary requirements for the student visa, feel free to get in touch with us today!