SLIDE 1
Recent developments with Student Visa Processing
Peta Dunn
WA State Director and Global Manager Temporary Visas Department of Immigration and Citizenship
SLIDE 2
- In response to Recommendation # 3 of the Knight Review, Streamlined
Student Visa Processing (SVP) arrangements have been in place since 24 March 2012 for those universities that opted in;
- 41 of 42 universities operating in Australia applied and were approved to
participate in the SVP arrangements.
- Streamlined visa processing arrangements mean that eligible prospective
university students are treated as lower immigration risk.
Streamlined Visa Processing - Background
SLIDE 3 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 Q1 2011-12 Q2 2011-12 Q3 2011-12 Q4 2011-12 Q1 2012-13 Q2 2012-13 Q3 2012-13 Q4 2012-13 Application lodgements
Quarterly period
Student visa application lodgements from eligible sectors: streamlined vs non-streamlined
Streamlined Non-streamlined Total lodgements
Streamlined Visa Processing
SLIDE 4 Grant rate for streamlined higher education applicants
91.6% 93.9% 93.0% 96.4% 80% 82% 84% 86% 88% 90% 92% 94% 96% 98%
30-Jun-2012 30-Sep-2012 31-Dec-2012 31-Mar-2013
Percentage of applications streamlined Quarter ending
Streamlined Visa Processing
SLIDE 5 Processing times for streamlined higher education applicants
50 37 47 26 41 23 28 21
18% decrease 38% decrease 40% decrease 19% decrease
10 20 30 40 50 60
30 Jun 11 & 30 Jun 12 30 Sep 11 & 30 Sep 12 31 Dec 11 & 31 Dec 12 31 Mar 12 & 31 Mar 13
Calendar days Quarter ending
30 Jun 2011 - 31 Mar 2012 (pre SVP) 30 Jun 2012 - 31 Mar 2013 (SVP in operation)
Streamlined Visa Processing
SLIDE 6 Top five countries by volume of Higher Education grants, March 2012 – March 2013
36 587 6 529 5 020 4 952 2 813 5 000 10 000 15 000 20 000 25 000 30 000 35 000 40 000 1. PR of China 2. India 3. Malaysia 4. Vietnam 5. Singapore Total no. of HE student visas granted
Streamlined Visa Processing
SLIDE 7 Timeframe Streamlined Visa Processing Events
April 2013 Participating universities received their 12 month SVP data reports April 2013 Notification of any changes to universities’ nominated Educational Business Partners June 2013 Educational Business Partner changes come into effect October 2013 Participating universities to receive their interim 12 month SVP data reports August 2013 Notification of any changes to universities’ nominated Educational Business Partners November 2013 Educational Business Partner changes come into effect December 2013 Universities invited to participate in second iteration of the SVP arrangements and will at the same time be provided with updated Guidelines. December 2013 Notification of any changes to universities’ nominated Educational Business Partners January 2014 Educational Business Partner changes come into effect February 2014 Universities required to submit a further SVP ‘opt-in‘ application March 2014 First iteration of the SVP arrangements ends April 2014 Second iteration of the SVP arrangements proposed to commence
Key streamlined visa processing events
SLIDE 8
Assessment Level Review
Recommendation # 32 of the Knight Review was for the Department, with input from an External Reference Group, to conduct a review of the Student Visa Assessment Level Framework. The Assessment Level Framework Review was undertaken in 2012 and involved broad stakeholder consultation with peak organisations, including unions and state governments. The Government is currently considering its response to the review.
SLIDE 9 Visa Pricing Transformation
Changes to visa pricing from 1 July 2013 are part of a longer term strategy being implemented by DIAC, known as the Visa Pricing Transformation, which aims to deliver improved client service through expanded online services. The strategy involves:
- additional capacity for clients to ‘self-service’ with online visa applications
and payment capabilities
- improving departmental efficiencies by introducing new charges for
discretionary services, such as visa labels
- generating revenue for government
- ensuring Australia remains globally competitive and is seen as a
destination of choice to visit, live, work and study.
SLIDE 10
Visa Pricing Transformation – 1 July 2013
Single VAC per application
Base application charge Additional applicant charge Subsequent temporary application charge Non-Internet application charge
Previous pricing structure From 1 July 2013
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Pricing and payments – what will change
1. The first instalment of the VAC will be made up of a number of components 2. The new VAC components are set out in Schedule 1 of the Migration Regulations 3. All applicable VAC components must be paid in full for the visa application to be valid 4. In a combined application all additional or ‘secondary’ applicants must now pay a first instalment VAC 5. Additional applicants added after the application has been made will be required to pay a VAC before they can be added
SLIDE 12 VAC changes for students
Applicants applying for a Student visa will be impacted by the following charges:
- Base visa application charge – a foundation amount that all applicants will
need to pay in order to make a valid application. Some exclusions apply.
- Additional applicant charge – an additional amount charged on a per-
applicant basis. This amount varies depending on the age of the additional applicant/s.
- Subsequent temporary application charge – an additional amount
charged based on an applicant’s visa history.
SLIDE 13 Recommendation #4 and #8: New post-study work arrangements
- Implemented on 23 March 2013;
- The Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa provides recent graduates with
the opportunity to gain practical work experience to enhance their Australian qualification. Recommendation #24 & #25: Abolition of automatic and mandatory student visa cancellation
- Implemented on 13 April 2013;
- Automatic and mandatory Student visa cancellations were abolished and
replaced with a discretionary framework that allows DIAC to consider the individual circumstances of a student when considering breaches of visa conditions.
Knight Review implementation in 2013
SLIDE 14
- There are now two streams to the subclass 485 – Temporary Graduate
Visa;
- The new Post-Study Work arrangements are designed for international
students who have recently graduated with a Bachelor, Masters or Doctoral Degree from an Australian education provider;
- The Graduate Work stream is for those with skills and qualifications that
relate to an occupation in demand in the Australian labour market. Visas are granted for 18 months validity. http://www.immi.gov.au/visas/students/485/applicants.htm
Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa
SLIDE 15 Changes to the Student Visa Cancellation Framework
Automatic and mandatory student visa cancellations has been abolished Discretionary cancellation has replaced the automatic and mandatory cancellation framework
Automatic Cancellation Automatic cancellation occurred when a student visa holder was reported by their education provider for not maintaining satisfactory course progress or class
- attendance. Students who did not contact DIAC within
the 28 days had their visa automatically cancelled. Discretionary Cancellation Discretionary cancellation involves a DIAC decision maker examining a case and taking the individual circumstances, including the past, present and future circumstances of the student into account when making a decision on whether or not to cancel a visa. The move from automatic and mandatory cancellation to discretionary cancellation will lead to fairer outcomes for student visa holders. Mandatory Cancellation Mandatory cancellation required a DIAC decision maker to cancel the visa unless exceptional circumstances applied.
SLIDE 16
Impact of the changes: Difference between the two frameworks
Previous Regime New Regime
Education Providers were required under the ESOS Act and National Code to enter details of an alleged breach of academic progress or attendance requirements in PRISMS. Education Providers are required under the ESOS Act and National Code to enter details of an alleged breach of academic progress or attendance requirements in PRISMS. When an alleged breach of academic progress or attendance requirement was entered into PRISMS a s20 notice was generated. The Education Provider sent this notice to the student. When an alleged breach of academic progress or attendance requirement is entered into PRISMS a s20 notice will not be generated. If a student attended a DIAC office in person, DIAC had a limited ability to consider circumstances of breaches, including whether to cancel a visa. DIAC is now able to support fairer outcomes for students with the ability to differentiate between genuine and non-genuine students.
SLIDE 17
Questions
