Education agents have spoken out against Australia's Streamlined Visa Processing system, saying it is neither faster nor dependable for visa issuance. They have cautiously welcomed the recent announcement that the system will be scrapped starting next year but say it's too early to tell if it will be an improvement.
The Australian government has released the name and number of the new "low risk" education providers eligible for streamlined visa processing from November 23. Students studying Advanced Diploma level courses will soon benefit from SVP.
International education is a success story in Australia at the moment with overall enrolments up 12% to June this year, but peak bodies openly discussed the need to ensure that "good growth" is achieved, as current industry bugbears around Streamlined Visa Processing (SVP) and the Tuition Protection Service (TPS) were laid bare.
Following its strong start to 2014 for international education, the Australian government has announced plans to extend Streamlined Visa Processing (SVP) to students applying to enrol in Advanced Diploma level courses at low immigration risk providers.
Australia is experiencing its strongest ever start to the year, bar its peak year of 2009, and has seen 21% growth across all international education sectors, latest AEI statistics have revealed. Yet growth is namely across higher education and Streamlined Visa Processing (SVP) providers, meaning it is not as balanced as it seems.
Making good on campaign promises to prioritise international education, Australia's Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Scott Morrison and Minister for Education Christopher Pyne have announced that the government will extend streamlined visa processing (SVP) to 22 undisclosed private education providers. Other measures are also being reviewed.
