Obtaining an Australian visa often seems like a daunting task, especially when you are in your homeland and don’t have a lot of information about the process. You may end up going to a consultant (always go for a registered agent), but it is always handy to know the basics.
To make matters even easier for you, the Australian government has simplified the visa process. Now the visa will be decided based on which education provider you choose rather than categorising you on the basis of your passport.
The key changes to the simplified student visa framework (SSVF) are
- a reduction in the number of student visa subclasses from eight to two; and
- the introduction of a simplified single immigration risk framework for all international students
Why is it happening?
The changes are designed to make the student visa framework simpler to navigate for genuine students, deliver a more targeted approach to immigration integrity and create a level playing field for all education providers.
Here’ what you need to know
The SSVF is intended to replace existing streamlined visa processing and AL framework arrangements.
Under the SSVF, the combined immigration risk outcomes of the student’s education provider and country of citizenship will be used to guide the level of documentation relating to financial capacity and English language proficiency that the student would need to provide with their student visa application.
Additionally, students would no longer apply for a specific student visa subclass applicable to their level of study for example, subclass 573 for Higher Education. Rather, there will be only one student visa subclass for which all prospective students will apply.
The documentation you need will be determined by an online tool
Students will be able to identify what documents they will be required to provide with their visa application by entering their intended education provider and country of citizenship into an online tool.
The level of documentary evidence required in relation to financial and English language capacity will be guided by the combined immigration risk of the prospective student’s education provider and country of citizenship.
Generally, students enrolled at an education provider with the lowest immigration risk outcomes will have lower evidentiary requirements, regardless of their nationality. Students enrolled at an education provider with the highest immigration risk outcomes will have access to reduced evidentiary requirements if they are from a country with the lowest immigration risk.
For more information visit the department’s website.