ABOLISH GENUINE TEMPORARY ENTRANT REQUIREMENTS
The Coalition Government welcome announcement to streamline the Assessment Level component of the student visa program has been tarnished by its unwillingness to tackle the ‘Genuine Temporary Entrant’ (GTE) test.
The Assistant Minister for Immigration, Senator Michealia Cash, announced yesterday the Australian Government will reduce the Assessment Levels from 5 to 3.
Further, it will reduce the financial requirement for AL-3 applicants from 18 to 12 months. However, as a result of this change, funds for AL-3 would be required to be provided by a close relative.
Introduced in November 2011 by the Labor Party, the GTE was designed to force students to demonstrate they will not be anything less than temporary visaholders. This will be maintained.
The GTE requirement comes into effect at the time of application for offshore applicants or during the 28-day grace period after student visas have expired for onshore applicants.
The net effect of these changes has seriously slashed Australia’s international student sector – the nation’s fourth largest export and the largest services-orientated sector.
According to Deloittes, Labor’s student visa ‘reforms’ have diminished the sector by 19 per cent; according to the ABS, the sector lost about 2.5 billions dollars since 2009. See this link:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-04/pyne-international-student-failure/4994330
Australia has foregone billions of export dollars, not to mention the economic activity the international students generate in property, financial and other services
Specifically the Indian students were negatively impacted with an acceptance rate falling from 90 per cent in 2007-08 top 49 per cent in 2010-11. The number of offshore Indians granted student visas for VET fell from 31,389 in 2008-09 to 693 in 2010-11.
These rejected students simply apply to attend educational facilities among Australia’s competitors – New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.
The GTE requirements remain the wrong way to address the risks of fraud in the educational sector. It remains wrong for the 457 temporary work visa scheme at the nomination and visa application stages, which is starting to clog the merits review system.
Student visa holders should not be at a disadvantage if they have a plan to create a pathway towards permanent residency. If the evidence for the subsequent visas works – English language and qualification requirements – then the burden on the Australia taxpayer is very limited.
The GTE requirements place enormous discretionary and arbitrary powers to the Department officials, that are uneven in its application and create bureaucratic burdens to administer.
The GTE requirements should be abolished. The Coalition missed an opportunity to meaningful reduce red tape.