Latest international education news

New Zealand is to take all student visa applications online from late 2013 in a bid to speed up processing and improve customer service. It will be the first service to be delivered through the country's Immigration Global Management System (IGMS) – a new "fit for purpose" IT system aimed at modernising the immigration system by 2015.

US firm peerTransfer says it has become the first money transfer service to allow Chinese students to make direct educational payments overseas in their home currency. The system is open to those studying in the US, Europe, Australia and Canada, who peerTransfer claims could save $100m per year.

The UK Border Agency has warned Indian students against using unscrupulous education agents to book courses in the UK, saying that agents and students involved in fraud will face action from the Indian authorities. In a statement on the British High Commission website in India, UKBA also said students should avoid using agents for visa purposes altogether.

The state of NSW, Australia, will finally grant overseas students discounts on the cost of travel in a bid to boost its economy. The concessions – available in every other state bar Victoria – provide up to 35% off travel, creating more equity with Australian students, improving student safety and cutting living costs.

Canadian universities have reported a 12% increase in international student enrolment numbers for the fall semester, in a further sign that Canada is growing as a study destination. International education already contributes CAN$8 billion in spending to the economy.

About one in three international students in the UK is studying business and management. And if there are half a million students studying UK degrees offshore, 350,000 are studying business management. That's a huge market for us.

A scholarship scheme for English teachers from outside the EU to study in Ireland has been expanded to include China and Russia, The PIE News learned at this week's MEI workshop, Galway. The scheme hopes to promote Ireland as an ELT destination via the teachers.

One of the largest English language competitions ever to be held in China will run next year, as part of a new agreement to build ties between Chinese polytechnics and Australian Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes. The competition will be promoted across all of China’s 1,200 polytechnics in 2013.

English UK and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have signed a major agreement to develop ELT across Iraqi Kurdistan and enable English UK members to leverage opportunities presented through a scholarship programme.

Rejections of visa applications to study English in the US have soared in Turkey in recent months, causing panic among agents and US ELT providers for whom Turkey is a key source market. The rejections are linked to a Turkish visa fraud case in the US. Agency association UED cites up to 80% refusal rates.

An English Proficiency Index (EPI) compiled annually by EF, published today, has revealed that Sweden is now considered to be the best in the world in terms of English, usurping Norway to take the title and zooming up from fourth position. Meanwhile, southern European countries hit by the eurozone crisis are stagnating at mid-ranking echelons.

Iranians studying around the world are struggling to support themselves financially after the Iranian currency collapsed last month, due to the accumulative effect of foreign sanctions. Students must also pay up to three times what they used to and there are reports that some of the 35,000 Iranian students overseas are returning home...

American students have named study abroad programmes in France, Italy and China among the best, according to rankings compiled by the portal Abroad101.com. The rankings also provide niche category winners, such as best budget-friendly, top foodie cites and top non-traditional destinations.

Languages Canada, which represents French and English language schools in the country, was awarded CAN$80,000 in funding last week by the government. This reflects the government support for the sector - as evidenced by a recent successful trade mission to Saudi Arabia and Jordan.