The government’s student visa programme delivers both economic and social benefits to the nation. The programme is an integral part of the international education sector,
The government’s student visa programme delivers both economic and social benefits to the nation. The programme is an integral part of the international education sector, which is one of Australia’s largest export industries and generates substantial benefits.
The student visa programme consists of a range of visa categories that broadly reflect the different education sectors. The visa categories are:
- English language intensive courses for overseas students (ELICOS)
- schools
- vocational education and training (VET)
- higher education
- postgraduate research
- non-award.
The student visa programme is experiencing strong growth in all sectors. Total student visa grants increased by 12.6 per cent in 2013–14 (292,060 grants) compared with the 2012–13 financial year, when 259,278 visas were granted. The increase in grants was primarily driven by an increase in grants of the Higher Education Sector visa (subclass 573). Grants for this visa subclass increased by 19.7 per cent in 2013–14 compared with the previous financial year. The People’s Republic of China remained the largest source country for student visa grants, followed by India, the Republic of Korea, Vietnam and Brazil. Of all student visas granted, 45.2 per cent were granted to citizens of these five countries. Students from China made up 20.7 per cent of student visa grants in 2013–14. After the Higher Education Sector visa, the Vocational Education and Training Sector visa (subclass 572) was the second most popular student visa category in 2013–14, accounting for 20.8 per cent of total student visas granted.
India, China and Vietnam were the Top 3 countries with students in Australia. Refer to the table. If you need assistance with student visa application or extention, contact Migration Intelligence today !
