With all the changes in Australia, education experts are now saying that these would have a big effect on the country's foreign student industry. Indeed, the initial changes that were implemented by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship on the student migration last year have had a noticeable effect on the country's foreign student community.
Now, many international students are gearing up for the new changes that the department has announced. According to the department, these changes will take effect in in July of next year. One of the biggest of changes is the revision of the points system for the general skilled migration program. The points system is used to assess the qualification of an applicant for the visa.
Here, the department said that they have emphasized on English proficiency as a major part of the points assessment. Immigration officials noted that many of the passers of the previous assessments actually have below average English language skills. The department said that, since Australia is an English speaking country, this is crucial if they want to be able to easily find a job in the country.
With that, the DIAC said that they will be giving additional points for those showing remarkable proficiency in the language. For instance, those that will be able to get a rating of “superior” in the International English Language Test System exams will automatically be awarded 20 points in the assessment. On the other hand, points will also be given to those which possess higher educational credentials, such as bachelor's degrees or doctorates.
Meanwhile, the department said that it will not award points anymore based on the kind of work that the applicant is applying for. This, according to the department, is necessary in order to give all applicants equal opportunity. On the other hand, work experience will still be awarded points, depending on the amount.
The department have also said that they have now increased the pass mark for the assessment to 65 points.
As it is, many students will certainly not like the new points system. For one, those coming from non-English speaking countries will certainly find this new emphasis to be a hard one to follow. On the other hand, the increased focus on higher level qualifications, means that many students have no choice but to go for them if they want to work in Australia after they graduate. Nevertheless, Australian officials are confident that these moves are necessary for them to get the workers that the country needs.
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