The Australian government has launched a social media campaign to inform international students about their visa conditions after backing off from a crackdown last month on students who changed courses.
The campaign has been rolled out on the government’s social media platform and website in order to raise awareness in the international student community that if they were granted a visa by a provider authorised to offer streamlined visa processing (SVP) then they are only allowed to change courses to another SVP institution.
Last month the government sent out 1,416 letters warning students they had breached their visa conditions by transferring to non-SVP providers and could be sent home.
“This education campaign will include regular updates on the migration blog, FAQs and will present a range of relevant scenarios so students can evaluate the correct action to take”
The government made a u-turn on the threat on February 11 saying it will take no further action against students who transferred from SVP to non-SVP courses before January 14 after protests from non-SVP providers and students.
It will continue with its social media campaign in order to communicate to students the consequences of “course hopping”.
“This education campaign will include regular updates on the migration blog, FAQs and will present a range of relevant scenarios so students can evaluate the correct action to take for their circumstances,’ said Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Michaelia Cash.
Cash added that she was concerned international students thought it was acceptable to change or downgrade courses from a SVP eligible to a non-SVP eligible provider soon after their arrival in Australia.
Visa rules stipulate that students must complete six months of study at the highest qualification course in which their visa was granted before changing courses to a different education sector.
If students decide to change their level of qualification, from an SVP provider to a vocational training course for example, they must apply for a new visa either with a letter of confirmation of enrolment from the new provider or by departing Australia and applying from their home country.
Claire Field, CEO of the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET) said the organisation and its members were concerned with how the campaign was rolled out.
“We welcome clarity from government in relation to student visa arrangements but the campaign kicked off without input from those working in the international sector and the communications have caused significant consternation to many genuine students,” she told The PIE News.
“Improved consultation with the international peak bodies in the future will ameliorate any unintended consequences from government in its future communications,” she added.
Since March 2012, SVP has successfully been available to students who apply to participating universities. They are treated as low-risk immigration applicants regardless of their country of origin and have to provide less evidence of funding or previous study.
In November of last year, the government extended invitations to participate in SVP to 22 “low-risk” non-university providers.
This month the government released the official list of the 19 new providers who have been granted SVP authority.
