International students who graduate from Australian universities will have greater opportunity to work in Australia and enjoy greater faster, easier access to student visas under new student visa regulations issued by the Australian government today.

The changes are intended by the government to ensure Australia is an attractive place to study and a preferred destination for international students.

Post study work rights in Australia
International students who graduate from a bachelor or masters by coursework degree, and have studied for at least two years in Australia, will be able to remain in Australia and work for two years after the completion of their course.

Graduates of a masters by research degree will have three years post-study work rights and PhD graduates will have four years post-study work rights.

Faster, easier access to student visas
Students accepted by Australian universities for study in bachelor level degree courses and above will benefit from streamlined access to student visas. Regardless of the student’s country of origin, they will be treated as being in the lowest visa risk category, Assessment Level (AL) 1. This means they will have easier access to student visas with faster processing times.

Furthermore the financial requirements, which meant students had to demonstrate they had money in the bank, will be far less onerous for students who come from countries regarded as being high visa risk.

The changes which streamline visa access will benefit students from many countries including China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

More information visit:
http://www.immi.gov.au

Download:
http://www.immi.gov.au/students/_pdf/2011-knight-review.pdf

source:
http://www.idp.com, 22 September 2011