Australian residency attracts international students

Australia, February 15: Australia still holds immense attraction for numerous international students, a recent online survey has revealed.

The survey found that majority of overseas students’ interest in Australia is to gain permanent residency. Nearly 24 percent of foreign students on student visas in Australia want to get permanent residency after finishing their studies there. 

The findings of the survey are likely to increase fears of the effect of new immigration rules in the skilled migration program of Australia. 

The survey involving nearly 1600 overseas students from nearly 10 Australian universities found an increase of 5 percent in the number of overseas students looking to obtain permanent residency in Australia. 

Meanwhile, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, made it quite clear in the new immigration policy that the latest rules will favor those who get sponsorship offer from an employer after successful completion of their study in Australia.

The new policy is being welcomed by various Australian universities but is being seen as a big hurdle for various private educational 
institutes including colleges. Australia gets around $17 billion annually from private colleges in Australia involved in enrolling foreign 
students in various vocational courses. 

Australia had gained negative publicity after reports of several attacks on Indian students in Australia. However, despite this negative, the survey by JWT Education, a marketing agency that conducted the survey, revealed Australia as a relatively safer destination for overseas students as compared to countries including UK, US, New Zealand and Canada. 

Meanwhile, the quality of education in Australia has been given inferior ratings than that of UK and US, the survey stated. 

The number of Indian students chose Australia more for its good career prospects than for safety reasons. 

Out of the total participants in this online survey, about 6 percent expressed their dissatisfaction with their Australian study experience. 
However, nearly 9 percent Indians studying in Australia said they were not satisfied with their study experience in Australia.

The recent changes in the Australian immigration policy had left many international students studying in Australia in a lurk after closure of several private colleges. However, an official spokesman for Education Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, assured a refund by legislation for those overseas students who could not get placements in a similar course for which they had paid fee.