Australia tightens student visa regulations, new rules come into effect from today
MELBOURNE:- Australia has further tightened student visa regulations for international students.
The new measures came into effect today, October 2. This move is expected to impact Nepali students currently studying in Australia as well as those preparing to go there for their studies.
Under the new rules, students currently in Australia will not be able to apply for a visa from within the country (onshore) unless they are enrolling in a course at a higher level than their current one.
Additionally, it will not be possible to apply for a new student visa from within Australia if there is still more than 12 months remaining to complete the current course.
However, students with less than 12 months remaining in their course will be able to apply from within Australia under certain conditions. Students affected by the new arrangement will be required to apply from outside Australia—that is, offshore—if necessary.
However, it is stated that this rule does not apply to PhD students, school-level students, students holding permits from diplomatic missions, or students whose educational institutions have closed or shut down under certain special circumstances.
The new regulations have also affected the practice of remaining in Australia while awaiting the outcome of a visa review application. Students are now required to stay outside Australia until a decision is reached, even if they have applied for a review.
Australia had previously proposed a ban on international students bringing their families with them during their studies. A policy has already been announced prohibiting students on post-study work visas—which allow them to work after completing their studies—from bringing their families as well.
Australia has introduced a policy to reduce the annual number of immigrants from approximately 300,000 to 225,000. Regulations regarding student visas have also been tightened recently. According to sources, the visa approval rate for Nepali students has now dropped to around 36 percent.
