Australia has made some important changes to the student visa programs.

The Australian government has recently announced a number of changes. From now on, student visa applicants will need to include a confirmation of enrolment (COE), issued by their intended education provider, as part

of their student visa applications. This will improve processing times as students will no longer need to wait for a pre-visa assessment (PVA) letter to be issued by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) before arranging their COE.

Changes have also being made to reduce the financial requirements for Assessment Level (AL) 3 and 4 students. A reduction in the period of funds to be shown upfront with a visa application should make obtaining a student visa to Australia more competitive with other popular study destinations.

A new genuine temporary entrant (GTE) criterion has also been implemented. This will help Australia ensure that students are intending a temporary stay only for the purposes of their education. GTE will be assessed through an interview in most cases and will consider the student’s background and the value of the course to their future.

According to Australia’s High Commissioner to India, Peter Varghese: “Australia is a quality education destination and these changes will further strengthen that reputation. We look forward to welcoming high quality students from India. Australia is a great place to study and I encourage all Indian students to consider the many benefits of studying in Australia.”

Hindustan Times New Delhi, November 15, 2011