May 30, 2023

When coming to Australia to study, it is better to know about all the conditions of living in the country as a student. The following is a list of less evident requirements:

Study load: As an international student, you must maintain a full-time study load, which is usually defined as a minimum of 12 credit points per semester.

Attendance: You must attend all scheduled classes and maintain satisfactory course progress.

Change of course or institution: If you want to change your course or institution, in some cases you must first obtain an approval from the Department of Home Affairs.

Work restrictions: As a student visa holder, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight (i.e. two-week period) during the academic year, and full-time during scheduled course breaks. The Australian Government has announced that student visa holders already working in the aged care sector on 9 May 2023 can continue to work unrestricted hours in the aged care sector until 31 December 2023.​

Health insurance: You must maintain Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the duration of your stay in Australia.

Notification of address: You must notify your education provider of your address in Australia within seven days of arriving in the country.

Visa expiry date: You must ensure that your visa remains valid at all times. If your visa is due to expire, you must apply for a new student visa or a temporary graduate visa or leave Australia before your current visa expires.

It’s important to comply with these conditions to avoid any negative consequences, such as visa cancellation or refusal of future visa applications. If you have any doubts or questions about the Student Visa, contact us, we will be pleased to help you.

To figure out the conditions and eligibility criteria for student visas, please complete our questionnaire.

May 29, 2023

Latest Migration News May 2023

The federal budget was recently released, and it included some important changes to immigration policy.

Firstly, let’s discuss Migration Planning Levels for the financial year 2023-2024 which starts on 01 July 2023.

The 2023-24 migration planning level will be 190,000 places.

The 2023-24 Migration Program has been designed to address persistent and emerging skills shortages and support the transition to a net-zero emissions economy by attracting specialist skillsets that are difficult to find or develop in Australia. The Program has the following composition:

  • Skill stream gets 137,100 places – this stream is designed to improve the productive capacity of the economy and fill skill shortages in the labour market, including those in regional Australia.
  • Family stream gets 52,500 places – this stream is predominantly made up of Partner visas, enabling Australians to reunite with family members from overseas and provide them with pathways to citizenship.
  • Special Eligibility stream has 400 places this financial year – this stream covers visas for those in special circumstances, including permanent residents returning to Australia after a period overseas.

Migration Planning Levels in numbers 2023-2024

 

Visa StreamVisa Category2022-23 Planning levels2023-24 Planning levels
Skill
Employer Sponsored35,00036,825
Skilled Independent32,10030,375
Regional34,00032,300
State/Territory Nominated31,00030,400
Business Innovation & Investment5,0001,900
Global Talent (Independent)5,0005,000
Distinguished Talent300300
Skill Total142,400137,100
FamilyPartner40,50040,500
Parent8,5008,500
Child3,0003,000
Other Family500500
Family Total52,50052,500
Special Eligibility 100400
Total Migration Program 195,000190,000

Another change we would like to tell you about is the increase in Visa Application Charges

The Government will increase Visa Application Charges (VACs) from 1 July 2023.

The Budget Papers indicate that Visa Application Charges will rise by between 6% and 40%, with the increases distributed across the following visa subclasses:

Visa ClassesPercentage increase
Visitor, working holiday, work and holiday, training, temporary activity and temporary work (short stay specialist) visas15%
Business innovation and investment visas40%
Other visas6%

It means that if you are planning to lodge your visa application soon, better be quick and finalize it until 01 July 2023.

To justify these increases, additional funds are required to speed up visa processing times.

Finally, an improved delivery model for the Adult Migrant English Program will be implemented within the existing funding. Changes will provide improved English language, employment, and settlement outcomes for migrants by providing flexible tuition options, introducing a national curriculum, supporting professional development for teachers, and enhancing client support and performance management.

Another important change is that the Government will increase the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold from the current rate of $53,900 to $70,000 from 1 July 2023. It will affect 482, 494 and 186 visa applicants. This means that people who earn more than $70,000 will be eligible for these types of visas.

The budget also made some changes to temporary visas.

Temporary Graduate visa holders with select degrees will be eligible for an extra 2 years of post-study work rights to improve the pipeline of skilled labour in key sectors from 1 July 2023.

The working hour cap for international student visa holders will be reinstated from 1 July 2023, following its removal during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be increased by 8 hours from pre-pandemic levels to 48 hours per fortnight.

International students working in the aged care sector will be exempt from the capped fortnightly work hour limit until 31 December 2023. This is important because the aged care sector is facing a shortage of workers.

 

February 27, 2022
February 27, 2022

Sydney visa is here to help you and guide you with your Australian Student Visa application. There are mane requirements set by the Australian Immigration Department, so lets take a look at them closely:

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July 26, 2021

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is the world’s most widely used English language testing system. It was developed over 25 years ago and is jointly supported by the British Council, IDP IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment Centre.

Each year more than 2 million people take the IELTS test at 900 centres in more than 130 countries around the world. Results are accepted by more than 9000 different organisations as proof of English language skills. Read More

June 5, 2021
June 5, 2021

If you do not want your money, effort and time to go  to waste, the process of immigration via Australian education has to be thoroughly planned.

Everything matters — profession, study and training duration, the level of qualification and even the location of educational institution. It is very difficult for a person who is unfamiliar with the Australian education system and with the immigration legislation of Australia to do a right plan without the qualified help.

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