Sector split over student visa shift

FEDERAL government changes to the sensitive areas of student visas and skilled migration have aroused concern among some affected industry groups that things could actually be made worse.

The changes were in response to tightening federal immigration policies that have adversely affected many parts of the economy.

Higher education providers have mostly welcomed the changes, while vocation education and training (VET) institutions have come out strongly in opposition, which they say discriminate against their sector.

The Australian Council for Private Education and Training said the changes to student visa conditions were potentially devastating to the VET industry and could cause job losses.

Acting chief executive Claire Field said the government was bringing the once thriving international VET sector to its knees.

“The changes that have been announced are good for higher education providers, but they work against our many members in vocational education providers, and make it even less attractive for students to come and learn vocational skills,” she said.

Navitas, on the other hand, has welcomed the change, saying it looks forward to a resurgence in student numbers studying at higher education institutions.

Last week, the government announced a change in the way student visas were assessed, placing a differentiation between students wishing to study a higher education or university diploma, and those applying for a VET diploma.

Currently, students studying higher education diplomas can apply for a visa without needing as much money in their bank accounts to prove they can support themselves while in Australia.

Ms Field said the changes meant studying a VET course would now be more expensive and more foreign students would most likely choose a higher education diploma or to study in another country.

The changes to student visas come after the government’s earlier announcement to introduce a new points test for its skilled migration program, where a VET qualification is now worth less than a university degree.

Potential skilled migrants now need to achieve a benchmark of 65 points to gain a visa, assessed on criteria such as age, qualification, English level, and Australian and overseas work experience.

TAFE Directors Australia initially supported the new system but changed its view after applying the test to individual cases and realising the difficulty many VET students would have in gaining a visa.

Director of international engagement Peter Holden said the organisation was drafting a proposal for government in which two points streams were created – one for professional occupations and another for trades.

“It’s been a really difficult year. I think some of the changes have been brought in too hastily,” he said.

Australia’s $18 billion international education industry has been plagued by uncertainty this year as immigration policies, the rising Australian dollar, violence against Indian students in Melbourne, and the closure of several training facilities have resulted in student numbers plummeting by as much as 30 per cent.

Even outside the education sector, views on the points test are still divided.

The Australian Industry Group has voiced concerns over the high levels of English required by the new system and has also said the focus on higher qualifications would not address the looming skills shortage.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA chief executive James Pearson echoed concerns that the English requirements were too high.

“I’d be very concerned if there was a trend towards lifting English language ability beyond what is reasonably required to carry out one’s job in a safe and productive manner,” he said,

Mr Pearson told WA Business News that, while professional shortages would be addressed by the new points test, trade skills shortages would be better served by a simplification of the employer sponsored migration program.