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An 80-year-old woman and her autistic daughter, 50, now have until November 28 to continue their visa fight, after their calls for permanent residency on compassionate grounds were denied by the Department. The mother, Florence, and daughter, Sheryil, had applied for a PR but the application was cancelled due to Sheryil’s disability. Earlier, they had to leave the country on October 3, which was changed at the last minute and the two women were granted an extension on their visa. An online petition calling for both ladies to be granted permanent residency on compassionate grounds now has over 65,000 signatories.

After a drastic revision of the Australian Bureau of Statistics data on international education, the new figures suggest that education, Australia’s third largest export, is worth far more than what the previous numbers suggested. The annual education exports in 2016-17 have now been pushed up to $28 billion from $23.6 billion – a number that was already a record. This is a 19 per cent increase in value. Recent Immigration Department figures suggest that the number of international students in Australia is also booming with a record number of 685,000 students enrolled in courses in the first half of 2017. This is 15 per cent more than the previous year.

A man who issued seven vocational education and training (VET) statements of attainment despite not being authorised to do so has been convicted and fined $3000 in the ACT Magistrates Court, following an investigation by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). In November 2015 Paul Purcell delivered a housekeeping training course as a pre-employment program to jobseekers in Canberra. He later signed seven documents which purported to be VET statements of attainment. The Chief Commissioner of ASQA, Mark Paterson said the organisation conducted an investigation about the statements of attainment following a complaint. Mr Purcell pleaded guilty to all seven offences and was convicted and fined.

Universities are being urged to block websites that sell essays, identify cheating “hot spots” and consider publishing data on breaches of academic integrity. Australia’s higher education watchdog – Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency – has unveiled new guidelines to tackle the issue. TEQSA chief executive Anthony McClaran said that breaches of academic integrity had broad implications and this needed to stop right away. He said cheating put the reputation of Australia’s higher education system at risk and could endanger employers and the integrity of qualifications. A recent survey by University of South Australia associate professor Tracey Bretag, who also helped with the guidelines, found that six per cent of Australian students engaged in cheating; and that 68 percent of academics had encountered what they suspected was cheating.

In an attempt to consolidate its visa processes, Immigration New Zealand may close several of its offshore and onshore branch offices, a statement by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment said.  The reviewal process includes: Specialising visa processing by sector Reducing the number of processing sites Increasing the number of visas processed onshore Implementing a new leadership model for the department This may also include closing down of offices in Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Bangkok, Moscow, New Delhi, Pretoria, Shanghai, Auckland Central and Henderson

More Aussies taking to route to New Zealand In the last 12 months – 25,000 people have migrated from Australia to New Zealand. Migration experts say that New Zealand’s economy is powering ahead as unemployment rates in New Zealand are currently sitting at around 5 percent, that compares with about 5.5 percent in Australia.

Family reunions: Government asked to introduce 5000 additional visa places Advocates have urged the government to provide an additional 5,000 visa places for refugees seeking family reunification. A new ReachTEL poll, commissioned by the Refugee Council of Australia (RCA) and Jesuit Social Services, found that most Australians support refugee family reunions. Currently, there are 13,750 visas available under the Special Humanitarian Program, which includes 5,000 for family reunions. RCA wants the government to introduce additional 5,000 visas for the family reunion.

Deadline for asylum seekers who came by boat over! Hundreds of asylum seekers, who came to Australia by boat in the previous government’s time, will now face deportation after the October 1 deadline to apply for a visa expired this week. Back in May, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton had announced that 7,500 asylum seekers who had come to Australia by boat during the previous Labor government had until October 1 to apply for a visa, or face deportation. Though most of them had made it to the deadline, there are still hundreds who will now lose government benefits – both monetary and accommodation.

€200,000 business studies scholarship for Australian students In an attempt to build new connections between Australia and Ireland over education, the Trinity Business School and the Ireland Funds Australia announced a new €200,000 scholarship fund on September 24th. The new scholarship is jointly funded by the Trinity and The Ireland Funds Australia and will fund students over the next five years. This will support Australian students who wish to do the masters’ in business administration.

SriLankan man, sick wife to be deported within weeks A SriLankan man, his wife and their 16-month-old will have to give up their attempts and dreams for a permanent residency in Australia and will soon be deported by the Department, who has not revealed the reason for visa application refusal. Eranda Ranasinghe Arachchige’s wife Lakmala Nissankage Harshani is being treated for a mental illness in a hospital, and the couple has already spent around $25,000 in their fight to secure an Australian permanent residency. Arachchige, 39, came to Australia as a student and he has a qualification and experience in hospitality. “My migration agent presented me a new contract of $11,000 to appeal. I didn’t have this much money,” he told the Herald Sun. Father Brian Collins from St Anthony’s Parish, Noble Park, where the family attends mass, has organised a supporting letter from Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart to be sent to Immigration Minister Mr Peter Dutton.