New Delhi: Australia rolled out a new migration strategy Monday, but it won’t affect the post-study graduate visa negotiated for Indian students under the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) signed last year.
On Monday, the Australian government announced its long-awaited migration review which entails tougher restrictions on international students, including a stricter English proficiency test. A student applying for a graduate visa will need to score 6.5 on the International English Language Tests System (up from 6.0), and applicants for a student visa will need to score 6.0 (up from 5.5).
Migrants earning high salaries, which stand at $135,000 or more, will have their visa application fast-tracked.
There will also be additional scrutiny on subsequent student visas. For example, if someone wants to do another course after completing the one for which they applied for a visa, they will need to provide evidence in their application to demonstrate that any subsequent course is furthering their career or academic aspirations.
Data from the Australian government shows that the number of international students staying in Australia on a second or subsequent student visa has grown by over 30 percent to more than 1.5 lakh in 2022–23.
The biggest growth in “visa hopping” has been in the VET (vocational education and training) sector, where there is a lower likelihood of a credible course progression, states the migration strategy issued by Canberra.
However, guarantees of post-study work visas for Indian students, which was negotiated by India and Australia under the ECTA last year, will not be affected by this.
Speaking to a group of journalists in New Delhi Monday, Australia’s High Commissioner to India Philip Green said: “Commitments agreed between India and Australia under the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA) will be upheld under the new migration strategy.”
“This means that Indian graduates will continue to be eligible to stay on a temporary graduate visa for two years for a Bachelor’s degree, three years for the completion of a Master’s degree and four years for completion of a PhD,” he added.
India is the second-largest country for international student enrolments in Australia, with a total of 95,791 Indian students studying in Australia in the January-April 2023 period, according to data from the Australian High Commission.
“The government will continue to welcome high quality students seeking out educational opportunities in Australia. I see no reason why Indian student numbers shouldn’t continue to grow,” Green told reporters.
In April 2022, India and Australia signed the ECTA which provides opportunities for former students to live, study and work in Australia temporarily after finishing their studies.
According to the agreement, Indian students who have completed a diploma can stay up to 18 months; those who completed a Bachelor’s degree (including honours) can stays up to two years; those who completed a Master’s degree can stay up to three years; and finally, those who completed doctoral degrees can stay up to four years.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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