In an attempt to strengthen the relation between Australia and big Asian power nations like India and China, Australia has vowed to engage the Asia Pacific region. Also, Australia has been actively involved in trading options when it comes to doing business in mineral resources. This step was mandatory also, especially after seeing the kind of history these countries have had in the past. The relations were not smooth wither.

It was not long back when in the month of March, China ordered a sentence to some officials from the Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto to four to 14 years in jail. This was a sentence which was termed hard and rigid by the Australian authorities. This incident further demolished the mutual relationship between both the countries. These executives were charged and blamed of exchanging commercial secrets as well as getting involved in bribe scams.

When we talk about the relationship between India and Australia, the past is not hidden! The incidents of racial attacks on Indian students residing in Australia made news in all media networks a few months back. This disturbed the relationship between both the countries in a major way.

The situation is such that Indians have minimized their number of prospective applicants who want to study in Australia. Now Australia is looking forward to strengthen its relationship with India and China.

Australia is intending to step positive in the favor of nuclear cooperation pacts with India. But nothing has been confirmed yet.

It has been urged by the Group Managing Director of Coca-Cola in Australia to make the rules pertaining to immigration less stringent. According to him, the nation gains from permitting foreign migrants to live, work or study in Australia. The visa requirements should be a bit relaxed which would permit the Australian companies to train the foreign professionals in the nation.

Mr. Terry Davis said that the nation would hate to lose out on the opinion of being an open state which accepts and embraces all cultures and is an open society. As per him, the migrants from Greece and Italy who immigrated to Australia half a century ago have been an asset to the nation. He said these words during a lunch at the Australian Institute of Company Directors while he spoke to the journalists post lunch.

At the same time, while answering the question pertaining to the number of visas to be issued, he feels that the level of immigration is a different debate altogether. This would rely upon many different considerations in terms of the nation and the inflow of people at a given time.

Mr. Davis also voiced out to support more number of international students to come and study in Australia. As per him, he would want to hire the best and the brightest from the universities in Australia irrespective of where these students came from.

Above all, it can be easily said that despite the rules being changed, there is at least one from the corporate world in Australia who believes that immigration is important for the development of the nation.

Australia is tightening its immigration laws for those students who apply for vocational courses in Australia to acquire permanent resident visa. It will not be possible for those applicants who want to enter Australia to pursue vocational courses from July 1 onwards.

Australia has introduced the list of skilled occupation and those applicants will be given preference that comes under the list of skilled occupants. But now Australia will also be considering the minimum qualification or professional training of an applicant in his field under which he will apply. Along with English test score, it has become compulsory for visa applicants to possess educational qualification or training in their field. In fact, encouraged by Australia’s move, Canada is also following the similar steps and has introduced the same policy.

But with the introduction of new policy, many students are going to suffer especially those Indian students who have applied for some vocational courses with no prior experience, to obtain the permanent resident status. This new policy will help Australia to stop those applicants from migrating who with low qualifications and training acquire permanent resident visa by applying for vocational course. But those students whose only aim is to study in Australia will remain unaffected. This new reform is taken to discourage the students to manipulate the immigration system for their personal benefit.

The new occupation list includes one hundred and eighty one occupations who are in great demand in Australia so that only those workers can migrate whose need are most required in Australia.  They would select those candidates who have enough skills and training so that they can contribute in the economic boom of the country. The new policy will help the genuine and capable applicants to receive their visas which they deserve.

If you are planning to migrate to Australia and need some guidance and information, then you can contact any immigration and visa consultancy for professional help.

If you are one of those who are planning to study in Australia, then you would be meeting with the various requirements that your visa application would need. Your profile would be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. You must have taken an admission in any course of any Government Authorized Australian Institution. You must have the evidence which proves that you are enrolling for this course in an Australian registered University.
2. You must have the documentary evidence which shows that you have the financial assets provided by your sponsors. Your sponsors can be your parents, spouse or grandparents only.
3. For postgraduate courses or further studies, you must have evidence that shows that you have enough of financial assets to pay your first year education fees and support your daily living. If you are provided with a scholarship from your education provider, then money to meet the remaining funds must be provided.
4. You have to clear an exam which tests your proficiency in English language and for that you have to clear IELTS exam with a score of minimum 6.0. Also, it is mandatory to score in IELTS exam, score of any other exams like TOEFL are not considered
5. Other factors like your immigration connections with Australia and the usefulness of your course in the progress of your career can also affect the processing of your application.

On an average, it takes around four to six weeks for the complete processing of your application. Various factors determine the delay in the processing of the application, like some medical conditions, document verification or incomplete application form. It is mandatory for you to clear the medical exam named as Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for yourselves and your dependents as well.

The visa procedure for Australian education is not very complicated and carefulness can make the entire process of getting the visa quite smooth and easy. Investment in the overseas education is once in a lifetime investment and one must take every precaution to avoid any obstacle. For that, you can contact an immigration outsourcing company which would help you in your immigration and visa process making it a cake walk for you.

Overseas education has become the need of today’s rising competition and it gives a wider exposure to students who come from foreign land. It helps the students to become more sensitive and tolerant towards different cultures, make them more independent and mature enough to handle various situations.

In the last few years, Australia has made a special place for itself among those countries that provide overseas education to foreigners. With high level of excellence and quality education along with practical training, it has become the hub for overseas students.

There are many reputed universities in Australia which offer ample exposure to polish one’s skills and talents. Amongst them is the Australian National University (ANU) which is the topmost followed by the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne which are rated as second and third most popular universities respectively.

ANU has international links with universities in the USA, UK, Europe and Asia and as the only Australian member of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU). The IARU is a confederation of ten of the world’s leading research universities. The University is involved in collaborative projects with organizations ranging from NASA to those from the European Union.

ANU is specially known for its courses in the field of research and scientific development. One of its most popular courses is the Bachelors in Computational Science which provides Practical Mathematical and Software Engineering training. Those intending to make a mark in the field of science and research or engineering, then ANU should fall into the top places of their priority list.

The work culture of Australia is quite student friendly and one can also continue to work part time (to earn their pocket money) along with their studies. There are ample opportunities for students to study and work side by side. One can find jobs on the campus as well as jobs in retail, hospitality and the administration department. With all these benefits of Australian education and beautiful landscape with a glorious climate, Australia is definitely a destination for all.

Incase you are one of those intending to study in Australia and you are not a citizen of the nation, you require a study visa to live and study in the nation. It is best recommended that you consult an Immigration Specialist who deals with Australian immigration. He would be the right person who would be updated with all the latest in this regard.

With rising competition and high standards of lifestyle, every student demands nothing but the best education only. Australia is a hub for overseas education and ranks amongst the top priority of every student who wants to study abroad.

Due to the recent changes made by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), students have started facing lots of problems and their strength has dropped since the last few months. DIAC have made certain changes according to which they have cut down hundreds of low level positions from its Skilled Occupation List (SOL). Because of such changes, students who have worked so hard have to face a shortage of jobs.

Another sad part of the story is the rising fees of Australian education which is quite a surprise to the students. Unlike other countries, Australia has always provided low cost education which was one of the chief reasons that students used to opt for this nation.

Let’s see how much a student is required to pay on an average to pursue his studies.

• The average cost of tuition for a beginner in an undergraduate course can be around US$10, 000-16,000 a year.
• For vocational courses, it may cost around AUS$ 5000 to AUS$ 18,000 depending on the course. Although, these charges are lower in comparison to the charges required to pay in the US, but the difference in their pattern of study curriculum makes it more expensive.

For example, the timelines for a similar post graduate study program would be around 2 years in Australia where as in Britain; it would be about a year. But this is not the end of the struggles of overseas students.

New rules and regulations by the Immigration Department for foreign students have further imposed new restrictions on them. They have to deposit a larger amount of money in banks as a proof that they can finance their studies. This booming economy would simply mean higher currency value. Thus, those students coming from developing or underdeveloped nations would have to pay much more. So, the students (especially those who are already studying in Australia) are facing a form of “No Escape Situation” as they would have to pay more. As for those who are intending to study in Australia, it is advisable to seek out other options as well before deciding.

Australia may no more be a hot favorite destination for overseas students, in particular, students from India, reason being the row of racial attacks on foreign students, and most recently the tougher rules and regulations pertaining to immigration. As far as Indians are concerned, who want to study and work in Australia are likely to be affected by the newly implemented visa restrictions. And this would not favor the country in retaining its reputation as one of the most popular immigration destinations.

While Australia is in the verge of loosing its potential immigrants, its neighboring country, New Zealand is witnessing an entirely opposite experience. Apparently, the Kiwi country is attracting more overseas students as compared to the previous year. This is a condition where it’s suitable to say that Australia’s loss is New Zealand’s gain.

New Zealand has already received a large percentage of new overseas applications. On the basis of the reports of inquiries received by many immigration related entities and consultants, it can be said that the country is also expecting to receive a considerable number of Indian-origin students, whose studies and careers have suffered in Australia in the mid-way.

In Australia, tougher immigration rules and series of mishaps happen to be turn offs for international immigrants, especially students. As far as New Zealand is concerned, with the gain of large number of students, the foremost responsibility of the country is to provide the comfort to overseas students. In order to maintain its image as a friendly and welcoming country, its communities should be warm and well behaving towards the young immigrants!

Australia has been in the news recently for various reasons. More is being added to it with the Chinese media warning the Rudd government of the impact that it is going to have on Australian immigration. With the Skilled Migration List that is very limited post the amends brought in, the doors to immigration can be considered as being narrowed to a great extent.

With the new immigration policies in place, the agents in China have literally being taken aback. This industry sector caters to about one-third of the $17 billion magnum opus industry. This is because the students who intend to study in Australia would have financial concerns with the crisis already in place from the Indian students.

Previously, there were four hundred occupations in the Skilled Occupation List which has now been narrowed down to only one hundred and eighty one. The new list would be implemented from 1st July 2010. This change would hamper the students from China studying and those who intend to study in Australia.

According to the latest figures, the number of international students coming to Australia has gone down by 3.3% in the last four months till April. Last year, the figures showed 166, 414 foreign students when compared to only 160, 924 students this year. The trend showed a decline by 3.8% when it came to the vocational sector and 17% in the genre of English language.

Above all, it is of key importance to have an immigration policy that is migrant friendly so that more immigrants come in and contribute to the economy of the nation.

An education agent in Australia has addressed that the number of applications from foreign students intending to study in Australia has disintegrated by a huge margin as much as 40 percent. He went on to confirm that the changes are a result of “abrupt and rapid” changes which happen to the Australian immigration regulations.

It has been speculated that the decline in the number of overseas students could cause Australia a heavy loss of $600 million, confirmed IDP chief Tony Pollock. He stated that it is a matter of great worry that last month witnessed a great loss in overseas applications from countries like Vietnam, India and China. Calculating the loss, he said that even a 10 percent loss in the application in one year, with each applicant paying somewhere $30k, would cost Australia a loss of $600m.

In addition, stats say that India is one of the major source providers for student applications to Australia and plays a critical role in enhancing the country’s economy in a major way. Hence, indirectly, the income contributes the funds in University teaching as well.

The decline is also resulted from the recent spate of racial attacks which came into news during the last few months.

Mr. Pollock stated that it is not an easy task to get a student visa, and that is why people have doubts in their mind whether they would ever be able to get a Permanent visa or not. Hence, they also think about whether they should choose another country for their overseas education or not.

These facets have added on to the decline.

According to stats, the number of applicants intending to study in Australia has reduced by a huge margin since February 2009. Reports say that the onus falls upon the new Immigration policy introduced by the Australian High Commission which led to the decrease by as long as 90%, and that’s a huge margin!

The reasons provided for the introduction of these new amendments are to ensure that the facets of fraud and undocumented workers are kept away from the Australian immigration policy, hence allowing the entry of genuine applicants. In addition, the new policy would ensure that students are geared up with ample funds to study in Australia.

A drastic fall has been seen in the number of students planning to choose Australian institutions as their next study destination. From 11,000 students going to Australia in the year 2007-2008, the semester of June 2009- December 2009 witnessed a poor performance, taking the number to a mere 1000.

The new tougher student visa regulations are one of the chief reasons for this poor statistics. Also, Australia is no more one of the prospective countries to immigrate now.

Other personalities from the education sector believe that the purpose of the new regulations was to allow the entry of genuine students, so that they have the capability to back themselves, both financially as well as academically. Also, the complications in the verification process have led to a further decrease in the prospective students, in addition to high refusal rates.

To clear the stringent student visa rules, applicants are advised to take assistance from an ace Study Visa (http://www.abhinav.com/student-visa.htm) expert to avoid any visa denial.