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International education providers to be the focus of regulatory scrutiny

International education providers to be the focus of regulatory scrutiny Providers of international education have been put on notice that they will be the target of greater scrutiny under an updated regulatory strategy from the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). ASQA Chief Commissioner Mark Paterson said the agency has seen strong growth in the number of training providers seeking registration on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). It will now undertake a strategic review of the delivery of VET and English language courses to overseas students, aimed at identifying what it describes as “good provider practice and potential areas of risk to overseas students and Australia’s reputation…”. It will also review training providers offering assessment-only services to offshore students in a number of target countries including China, India and the UK. A second broad area of ASQA’s crackdown will focus on trainers and assessors, including the delivery of the Certificate IV Training and Assessment (TAE). “This continued scrutiny will apply to both RTOs currently delivering training products from the TAE Training Package and to any RTOs seeking to deliver these training products for the first time,” ASQA says.
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  • August 29, 2017

Slump in Kiwis becoming Aussie citizens following recent law change

Slump in Kiwis becoming Aussie citizens following recent law change A recent research shows there has been a slump in the number of Kiwis becoming Australian citizens since a law change in 2001. Data shows out of 146,000 New Zealand-born migrants who arrived in Australia between 2002 and 2011, only 8.4 per cent of them were citizens by 2016. The numbers are even lower for New Zealand-born Maori, with less than 3 per cent becoming Australian citizens, according to research from Victoria University’s school of Maori studies. Meanwhile, New Zealanders who arrived in Australian between 1985 and 2000 had citizenship uptake rates of nearly 50 per cent by 2016. The research, by Te Kawa a Maui’s Paul Hamer, finds the low numbers are due to restrictions imposed in 2001 that removed the eligibility of Kiwis from applying directly for citizenship unless they had a skills-based permanent visa.
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  • August 29, 2017

International student numbers plunge at WA’s colleges

International student numbers plunge at WA’s colleges Foreign students are abandoning Western Australia’s billion dollar education sector with new figures showing a massive slump in applications to study in the west. Department of Immigration and Border Protection figures for Western Australia show a drop in international students from 2,997 to 2,309 in June – a 23 per cent reduction compared to the previous year, following a 32 per cent drop in April and 11 per cent in May. According to WA Today, the state’s small colleges and training institutes are being hit hardest, with the Western Australian Private Education and Training Industry Association reporting up to 40 per cent reductions in student numbers at colleges in Perth teaching English.
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  • August 29, 2017

Greens seek to overturn new visa for asylum seekers

Greens seek to overturn new visa for asylum seekers The Greens have vowed to try and use parliament to stop the federal government booting asylum seekers off welfare and out of taxpayer-funded accommodation. Leader Richard Di Natale said on Sunday the minor party was seeking advice on whether the use of a new “final departure Bridging E Visa” – expected to be issued to asylum seekers from this week  – can be overturned when the Senate returns in a week’s time.
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  • August 29, 2017

Government to cut income support for asylum seekers under new visa

Government to cut income support for asylum seekers under new visa The Turnbull government is set to cut income support for Australia-based asylum seekers and give them just three weeks to find new homes under a new visa – the “final departure Bridging E Visa”. After the three weeks, government reports have confirmed, asylum seekers who have been transferred to Australia for medical treatment will be sent back to detention facilities on Nauru or Manus Island, or back to their country of origin. Under the new visa, income support of about $200 a fortnight will also end.
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  • August 29, 2017

ACT closes offshore program for current year Home

ACT closes offshore program for current year The ACT Migration Program is now closed to overseas applicants effective from 23 August 2017. However, applicants who are living overseas but have close ties (either family or genuine job offer) in Canberra or have completed a PhD at an ACT university can still apply for ACT nomination if they meet the criteria. Those applications that were submitted before 23 August 2017 and service fee was also paid before this date, will be processed in queue order. Canberra residents can apply for ACT 190 nomination if they meet the nomination criteria.
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  • August 22, 2017

Reminder! The Australian government wants to reduce the number of visas from 99 to 10. What’s your say?

Reminder! The Australian government wants to reduce the number of visas from 99 to 10. What’s your say? MCA wants to remind its readers about the Australian Government’s Policy Consultation Paper – Visa Simplification: Transforming Australia’s Visa System. The Australian government is seeking views and opinions on Australia’s future visa system and you can contribute to this by giving your opinion. Your voice will help the Department of Immigration and Border Protection make Australia’s visa system, more responsive to country’s economic, social and security interests. You can provide your views to the Department through their online web form. Submissions can be provided until 15 September 2017. The key areas of consideration will be reducing the number of visas from 99 at present to approximately 10 visas, the delineation between temporary entry and long-term/permanent residence, the role a period of provisional residence could play in enhancing the integrity of the visa system and easing the burden on taxpayers; and ensuring that the visa system supports Australia as a competitive and attractive destination for temporary and longer-term entrants.
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  • August 22, 2017

Australia demands equal immigration rights to EU citizens after Brexit

Australia demands equal immigration rights to EU citizens after Brexit Australia and other Commonwealth countries are demanding that their citizens should be granted the same rights as Europeans to live and work in the UK after Brexit, ahead of post-Brexit trade talks. Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop said her colleagues in government would be disappointed if the UK put more restrictive immigration conditions on Australian citizens than on those expected to be placed on arrivals from the European Union. Currently, Australians coming to Britain for work have to obtain a tier-two visa which allows them to stay for up to five years. They are only eligible for one if they have already been offered a skilled job and can prove that they are sponsored by their employer, while they must also have a minimum of £945 in savings and usually have to earn over £25,000 a year. Commonwealth members, especially Australia, New Zealand and Canada have warned the British government and Prime Minister Theresa May that the proposed plans could discriminate against their citizens. Should Commonwealth citizens be given the same rights as EU citizens in the UK?
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  • August 22, 2017

Policy heavyweights to discuss TAFE future

Policy heavyweights to discuss TAFE future The Australian Education Union (AEU) is holding a national TAFE conference in Sydney on Friday 20 October. The purpose is to initiate discussion and debate around the future of TAFE and the importance of developing new public policy in the sector. Speakers include Professor Leesa Wheelahan (University of Toronto); Dr Jim Stanford (Centre for Future Work); Professor John Buchanan (University of Sydney Business School); Professor Valerie Braithwaite (ANU); Professor Anne Jones (Victoria University) and John Pardy (Monash University). The conference will bring together academics, researchers, policy makers, teachers and unions and will be a contribution to the development of new social policy in this crucial sector of Australian education.  More information is available here.
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  • August 22, 2017

Student numbers slide following VET student loan crackdown

Student numbers slide following VET student loan crackdown The number of students accessing loans under the former VET FEE-HELP (VFH) scheme fell by 30% in 2016, following the federal government crackdown on unscrupulous training providers, according to official figures. The 2016 VET FEE-HELP Statistical Report, released by the Department of Education and Training shows: A total of 235,236 VFH-eligible students enrolled in 2016, down 24% from 2015 A total of 193,868 students received VFH assistance, down 29% Students borrowed $1.47 billion in VFH loans in 2016, down 50%TAFE Directors Australia CEO Craig Robertson expressed his concerns and said that they were now effectively seeing to remove the bubble and be back to regular rates of participation of those cohorts.
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