Student visa changes 'put sector at risk'

A UNIVERSITY vice-chancellor has attacked recent changes to international student visas, saying they send the message ''our doors are effectively closed'' to prospective students, putting the sector at risk.

Swinburne University vice-chancellor Ian Young strongly criticised the changes, saying they had created uncertainty.

''Over the next few months we will see a significant impact across the full tertiary education sector. In particular, private colleges heavily exposed to international students will be severely impacted,'' Professor Young told The Age.

''I expect to see college closures in the coming months [and] such closures will result in reputation damage for all Australian educational institutions,'' he said.

Professor Young said Australia had a perception problem that was deterring students.

''Recent changes to the manner in which student visas are issued and the difficulty of the visa application process have introduced considerable uncertainty in the market,'' he said.

''Prospective students are no longer sure if Australia will welcome them.''

He said the rising Australian dollar and increased competition from other countries had added to the problems.

Professor Young agreed that changes needed to be made to stop student visas being used as a back door to permanent residency, but said the changes were also ''impacting on genuine students''.

The comments came after the federal government last week introduced legislation designed to strengthen regulation and better monitor the performance of private colleges.

The amendments to the Education Services for Overseas Students Act came out of the Baird review into international students that reported back in March.

The review's recommendations included increased support for students, stronger consumer protection mechanisms and improved regulation of the sector.

Among the legislative amendments are moves to strengthen registration criteria, risk-based monitoring that shifts the regulatory burden to providers presenting the greatest risk to the the sector, and an increased range of breaches that incur financial penalties. The changes complement changes to student visas introduced earlier this year.

Last Tuesday a private college on the Gold Coast went into administration. Its demise follows the collapse of a Victorian college earlier this month.

The Australian Council for Private Education and Training said the closures were a result of the recent policy and visa changes.

A report by the council predicts Australia stands to lose about $3.8 billion in income from international education over the next two years, and says Victoria has already lost $113 million.

A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Chris Evans said there were more than 430,000 student visa holders in Australia at the end of May, 3 per cent more than the same time last year. She said student visa approval rates were at 85.5 per cent this year and the result for the 2009-10 financial year would be ''one of the three biggest years for student visa grants in our history''.

Source:http://www.theage.com.au/national/student-visa-changes-put-sector-at-risk-20100628-zf5x.html