AUSTRALIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Stricter Student Visa checks

Friday, 21 August 2009

According to a release by Minister For Immigration & Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, the Department of Immigration & Citizenship Australia is "strengthening" checks on student visa applications to restrict fraud & misuse of the system.

Senator Chris Evans said today that while applications for student visas grew by 20 per cent in 2008-09, almost 28 000 student visas refused, an increase of 68 per cent compared the previous year.

The new measures include:

• upgrading the interview program to build a strong evidence base around fraud;
• removing or restricting eVisa access for some agents where there is evidence of fraud or inactivity, and
• restricting access to eVisa for some segments of the caseload if analysis demonstrates restricted access would allow for better control of fraud.

"These measures are consistent with those used by other countries that receive large numbers of student visa applications, such as the United States," Senator Evans said. "Australia's student visa program supports the entry of genuine international students. For those students, the department provides a convenient, efficient service".

If you are interested in Visas to Australia, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Australia.