Migration Centre of Australia

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  • October 24, 2017

Call for universities to give more scholarships to refugees

Call for universities to give more scholarships to refugees Did you know that only 1 percent of the world’s 65 million refugees have a university degree? Alarming, isn’t it? This may change if a [much needed] recommendation by a Portuguese diplomat who spoke at the Australian International Higher Education Conference last week is substantiated. Portuguese diplomat Helena Barroco urged universities around the world to offer more scholarships to refugees, and attendees from more than 30 countries at the Conference that took place in Hobart agreed. In Australia, refugees or asylum seekers have vastly different experiences in accessing university. The ambitions of most of them have been put on hold due to their visa statuses. Do you think that refugees/asylum seekers in Australia should be given access to education until their cases are being decided on?
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  • October 24, 2017

US visa crackdown hits Australians

US visa crackdown hits Australians Australians possessing H-1 B and L1 visas in the US are vulnerable to Trump’s new US visa restrictions. News reports suggest that the change has caused a sudden increase of Australian tourists being stopped and turned away at US borders up and down the country.  There are fears that a large number of Australian citizens may be barred from working in the States. This is because the J1 visa program is also under review, with foreigners set to be banned from accessing US visas as tourist workers, live-in childcare workers, summer camp counsellors, interns and trainees. According to a report published by The Wall Street Journal, Australians most likely to be hit by US visa restrictions are those completing ‘on-the-job professional training, such as healthcare workers.’
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  • October 24, 2017

Grants for women in STEM extended to VET sector

Grants for women in STEM extended to VET sector This week brought good news for women and girls in STEM, planning to enrol in VET sector as the federal government grants program for women and girls in STEM, which initially excluded TAFE, has been revised and extended to TAFE. The ‘Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship’ program provides funding of between $5,000 and $250,000, for projects up to two years. Applications are open now.
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  • October 24, 2017

Migration to Queensland highest in eight years

Migration to Queensland highest in eight years While South Australia struggles with population growth and impact of interstate migration on the State, the number of interstate migrants to Queensland has been the highest it’s been for eight years. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told state parliament on Wednesday that 15,716 people moved to Queensland in the year to March 2017, with most of those coming from NSW. She said factors such as promoting Queensland as an attractive destination to move to, lower taxes and house prices were driving this migration growth.
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  • October 24, 2017

AFEs and universities split over Business Council plan for tertiary reform

AFEs and universities split over Business Council plan for tertiary reform TAFEs and universities are at odds over a radical plan for reform of education unveiled last week by the Business Council of Australia (BCA). The BCA report titled ‘Future Proof, Protecting Australians through Education and Skills’, proposed a tertiary system, where VET and higher education operate coherently, rather than as silos, supported by a single funding model and a lifelong entitlement to tertiary education. While TAFEs have strongly supported the report’s increased focus on TAFEs as a key economic lever, Universities Australia has warned that the plan risked eroding the quality of tertiary education, and opened the possibility of private providers abusing the system, as with the former VET FEE-HELP scheme.
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  • October 24, 2017

Where’s SA heading with its decreasing population growth?

Where’s SA heading with its decreasing population growth? As South Australia’s residents continue to make interstate migration, migration experts have warned that the State’s population growth may undergo a free-fall enroute to zero. This means a crunch of economic problems that may worsen if changes to federal visa rules lead to a drop in the number of temporary and permanent migrants moving to SA. The State is continuously losing more people than that it is receiving. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics figures, 6,400 more people moved interstate after their arrival in SA in 2015-16. You know the crisis is real when you hear the government’s announcement to strip SA of one of its House of Representatives seats at the next federal election due to low population growth.
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  • October 24, 2017

New English language standards for international students

New English language standards for international students International students will now be tested on their fluency of the English language under a new scheme that the Federal government is all set to introduce in 2018. The announcement was formally made by Education Minister Simon Birmingham last week. English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) will now have to formally assess students where they provide direct entry to a tertiary course, he said. What will change? At the moment, students can pass a course without proof and then start university studies. However, after the new standards are applied, the requirement will be extended for the first time beyond universities to vocational education and training courses. All ELICOS courses will have a minimum of 20 face-to-face contact hours per week and a maximum teacher-to-student ratio of 1:18.
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  • October 18, 2017

Australian Online Qualification a pathway to residency?

Many people from overseas seek permanent residency in Australia. Indeed, Australia is known as one of the main ‘immigration nations’. For example, from 2014 to 2015, 68% of migrants under the migration programme were skilled migrants. With this in mind, one would wonder what the pathways to permanent residency are. In this blog we will discuss how Australian Accredited Qualifications can contribute to the fulfilment of the requirements of skilled migration. Vocational education, an opportunity to earn extra points Upon completion of an Australian Qualification provided by a Registered Training Organisation, Australian visa applicants can earn up to 10 points if the visa is part of the points-test system. Possibilities of getting these qualifications include online study which can be undertaken from anywhere in the world. For those who have professional experience, it is easy to get Recognition for Prior Learning (RPL). Trades courses at certificate and diploma levels, for instance, can help in the pursuit of permanent residency. The most popular trades qualifications Tradespeople commonly referred to as tradies are sought after in Australia. Once the applicant has completed the qualifications that meet the Australian requirements, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency in Australia. Below are the main stages: Skills Assessment Lodge Expression of Interest (EOI) State Nomination (if required) Visa application Being a skilled migrant, it goes without saying that skills assessment plays a critical role in the visa application process. This is where Australian qualifications come in handy to confirm that people have the skills they claim to have. The right resources Once a person decides to start the process, there is a lot of information out there. It can be time consuming to get your head around and some of the information can seem contradictory at first. The most credible source for migration-related information is the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) and registered migration agents who help at different stages from general information and guidance as well as assist in lodging the visa. If you are wondering where to start, you are not alone and there is available guidance towards your goals. Have a look at our partners as well. Have a look at their facebook page or contact them directly!
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  • October 17, 2017

Australia tops the list of big western countries welcoming most migrants

Immigration no doubt is the major contributor to the population growth in Australia. Since 1970, the average number of children an Australian woman has is below two, and yet the country’s population has spurred by 70%. The number of newcomers continues to grow too, making Australia the country that admits more migrants than any big Western country. An article that appeared in The Economist recently talks about the pros and cons of this increasing immigration. While it mentions skills shortage, unemployment, increasing property prices, commuting and traffic issues, xenophobia and Pauline Hanson; it also quotes Australia’s Productivity Commission findings saying that there has been no evidence that migrants suppress wages or displace locals from jobs. Despite all these concerns, Australia continues to welcome the largest number of migrants, consistently holding on to the status of one of the most diverse societies in the world.
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  • October 17, 2017

Training package recommendations due by end of the year

The process of reform of training packages will begin in earnest when a report is delivered to the federal government by the end of the year, Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills Karen Andrews has said. A Training Product Reform Joint Working Party is currently examining the structure of training packages. “It will determine whether there are alternative approaches to qualification design more suited to the changing nature of work into the future,” Ms. Andrews said. She said the working party will deliver a report by the end of the year on the case for change to the design of qualifications. “This is likely to be followed by a consultation process to seek feedback on any proposed changes,” Ms. Andrews said.
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