Both students and private colleges are expected to benefit from Australia's booming international student business, following changes to the student visa system announced by the federal government.

The federal government is expected to slash the number of student visa categories and introduce a simplified single immigration risk framework for international students as part of a long-flagged shake-up of student visas, according to a report in The Australian Financial Review.

Announcing the changes, Education Minister Christopher Pyne and Assistant Immigration Minister Michaelia Cash said that the number of types of student visa would be reduced from eight to two and that the current visa risk assessment system, which favours universities and a limited number of other education providers, would be replaced with a system that would make it easier for private colleges to enrol foreign students.

“Australia is open for business and welcomes genuine and high quality international students who provide a much-needed boost to our economy, our local communities and jobs, and who boost our country-to-country relationships,” Mr Pyne said in a statement.

“We warmly welcome genuine international students and we are committed to improving and protecting the integrity of our immigration system” the Minister stated.

International students con­trib­uted a record $17.5 billion to the Australian economy for the 12 months to the end of March, the highest figure since 2009. The changes come as the number of international students is growing strongly, providing an export boost to offset the slump in the resources industry. This year the intake of new students is at its highest level ever in the March quarter, 11.5 per cent above 2014.

The following information has been received by Migration Alliance:

The Migration Review Tribunal and Refugee Review Tribunal will become part of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) on 1 July 2015.  We will be known as the Migration and Refugee Division of the AAT.

The fee payable when lodging an application with the Migration and Refugee Division of the AAT, for review of all visa refusals and cancellations, except protection visas, will increase to $1,673. 

Visa services of the department of immigration and passenger clearances at customs are expected to slow down significantly over the next 10 days with the start of “protected industrial action” by the immigration department workers from today through to 26 June 2015.

DIBP has warned that during this period, airports, client service centres, ports, container examination facilities and visa processes will be affected with interruptions to helplines, visa processing services, passenger clearances and customs clearance services amongst others.

Members of the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) covering more than half the public service are planning a series of half-day strikes to attend mass meetings around the country to protect their rights, conditions and pay from federal government attacks. According to media reports the union has not conducted such comprehensive industrial action for at least twenty years.

“Many of our members have already taken some protected industrial action. Now it’s time to do more and it’s time to do it together,” a statement from the CPSU noted.

This is an opportunity for you to send a clear message to the Government and Minister Abetz that the public sector won’t accept cuts to rights, conditions and real wages, let alone to the cuts to take home pay some members face." a statement from the CPSU noted.

On 1 July 2015 the Australian Border Force (ABF) will commence operations within the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, which will formally merge with the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service on the same date. It marks a key milestone in the process of change which has seen the Department of Immigration “shift its focus from nation building and migrant settlement, towards a greater emphasis on border security.”

A New Zealand advocacy group in Australia claims it has obtained some 40,000 signatures on a petition it will present to the Australian Parliament next week calling for New Zealanders to be given the same rights as other permanent residents residing in Australia, according to a Radio New Zealand report.

Last year, thousands of New Zealanders marched through Australian cities demanding equal rights after a series of media stories engaged in Kiwi bashing’ with some titles screaming, “JOBLESS Kiwis are flocking to Australia in search of work - and demanding the dole.” This year the New Zealand advocacy group, Oz Kiwi is aiming to put pressure directly on the Australian government to allow New Zealanders living permanently in Australia to naturalise within a designated time period so they can vote.

Spokesperson Timothy Gassin said the OZ Kiwi proposal was simple: that New Zealanders who move to Australia, who have been self sufficient and pay tax, should be given the full rights of other Australian residents and be allowed the option of becoming an Australian citizen.

Mr Gassin told Radio New Zealand that Oz Kiwi would meet with senators and parliamentarians this week to present their concerns and the petition which he claims has some 40,000 signatures.

Currently New Zealanders with a clean criminal record can enter, live and work indefinitely in Australia on a sc444 visa, which is granted automatically when they arrive. There are about 650,000 New Zealanders living in Australia on the Special Category Visa. An estimated 200,000 of these Kiwis are subject to the 2001 restrictions which deny New Zealanders a range of entitlements including welfare and various forms of government assistance from education and healthcare to disaster relief.

Dear Members of Migration Alliance,

The Annual General Meeting has been called for 2PM, 17th July 2015.

To view the notice, please click here.