Officials clueless on student visa breaches

PRIORITY efforts by universities and TAFEs to win more streamlined visa processing for their students are being hampered by a lack of official research on student visa breaches.

Sixteen months after Indian student unrest triggered the collapse of the export education industry, the immigration department has conceded it can't tell which sector accounts for most student visa breaches.

The Australian Technology Network and TAFE Directors Australia are calling for upgraded visa processing of their students based upon a belief that their overseas students pose a lower visa breach risk, and should be assessed accordingly.

Australian Technology Network chairman, Ross Milbourne, said Australia faced serious issues regarding its overseas students, but they didn't relate to universities.

"Yet the government has made no differentiation in its crackdown on student entry requirements," Professor Milbourne said.

By refusing to deal with lower-risk university students in a separate category, Australia risked massive economic fallout and job losses, Professor Milbourne said.

Similarly, the TDA has called upon the immigration department to analyse whether private college students breach their visas more often than those enrolled in TAFE, TDA international director Peter Holden said.

However, the peak body for English language colleges in universities and the private sector -- English Australia -- has rejected the "differentiation" push.

"You can't just say public good, private bad. That's way too blunt an instrument," EA executive director Sue Blundell said.

The Australian Council of Private Education and Training has also opposed the move, saying Australia needed a single tertiary system that did not "favour one type of institution over another."

Current law doesn't allow for the assignment of separate risk assessment levels according to type of education provider within a student visa sub-class.

However, the department indicated it is open to changes to the student risk assessment regime following the lobbying. But the common practice of students bundling courses at private and public providers would have to be addressed, the department said.

Source:http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/officials-clueless-on-student-visa-breaches/story-e6frgcjx-1225912496595