Overseas Students To Be Awarded With Bonus Points As Per A New Proposal

03 Jun 2013

Australian federal government is considering to award double the current bonus points to international students who have studied in Australia.

Chairman of International Education Advisory Council & National Australia Bank, Mr. Michael Chaney has brought this proposition to double the bonus points available in next fiscal year.

International Education Advisory Council has recommended more than 30 guidelines which could help Australia attract more number of overseas students than the present scenario.  Mr Channey predicts that the steps would boost overseas student numbers by 30%, to more than half a million by 2020.

The proposal has brought varied reactions from different quarters. Some of them are:

IEAA president Helen Zimmerman termed the proposal sensible and hopes it wouldn't revive the past decade's immigration-driven skewing of international education. Till 2008 overseas students were virtually guaranteed residency if they have achieved graduation in Australia, even if it is from areas like hairdressing and cooking.

"There's nothing in there which is about using education as a quick pathway to migration," Ms Zimmerman said, adding that only 5 per cent of colleges had rorted the old migration rules.

Australian National University vice-chancellor Ian Young said the proposal was "more moderate" than the old rules, and didn't concern him, provided "we can guarantee the quality".

"As long as you've got a regime in place that can ensure we're not going to damage the Australian brand, that's fine," he said.

CISA president Aleem Nizari  was of the opinion that "If the policies are clear and have a set quota, then the people applying for these courses are not misled when they complete,"

"People don't like to stay in one country nowadays for too long," he added.

The propositions have however sparked potential concerns of a revival of the "visa factory" colleges.

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