Student Visa Info

Many people would welcome the chance to spend some time in Australia studying and they can, as long as sure conditions are met. Firstly they must be proficient in English language, must attend a course or part of a course full time, and that course must be offered by an education or training provider registered with the Australian Government as accepting overseas students. The Department of Education, Science and Training provides full details but such courses comprise both vocational and academic.

There are 7 different types of student visa which may have differing conditions attached and these are:

(1). Independent ELICOS -  For those undertaking an English Language Intensive Course either not leading to an Australian award or to a variety of certificates.

(2). Schools -  For those in primary or secondary education.

(3). Vocational Educational and Training - which covers a number of vocational certificates and diplomas.

(4). Higher Education - covering degrees and graduate qualifications.

(5). Postgraduate Research - for those undertaking Masters research or a Doctorate.

(6). Non-Award - which are foundation studies or other components of courses not leading to an Australian award?

(7). AusAID and Defence - these are full-time courses undertaken by an AusAID or Defence student sponsored by the Australian Government

Each applicant for a student visa is assessed depending on country from which a passport is under arrest and the type of visa required. The evaluation level is designed to indicate how likely a student is to comply with the conditions of their visa, based on their previous performance. The assessment levels range from 1 to 5 and the higher the level, the more evidence will be required to support the visa application in terms of the student’s aptitude to support themselves and their fluency in the English language.

There are a number of conditions connected with being granted a Student Visa, the most distinguished of which being that the student must maintain enough health insurance for the period of their stay, they may not labor unless the apply intended for a separate visa to do so and they must remain in full-time education. The situation are far-away more detailed than this but this gives an thought of what is required of someone wanting to apply for a Student Visa. The Australian Government Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs website will guide students through the steps required to apply for an Australian Visa.

The Government on Monday announced liberal rules for granting student visa. There will be no bar or restriction on the number of courses a foreign student may follow and each time the periodicity of the visa will be counted anew.

The student will be permitted to take multiple courses in one institution or manifold institutions, provided the institutions are recognized and reputed. State governments and Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs) have been empowered to extend student visa within the parameters of the liberalised visa regime, an official let go said here.

With the rapid enlargement of the education sector in India in recent years, the require to liberalise the existing student visa regime was being felt and the liberalised regime would aim to make it more user-friendly, the let go said.

Education loans are given for chase all types of education viz. general, professional, technical and vocational courses. All public sector banks and few private sector banks are providing education loan to meet student’s study fixed cost in India and abroad.

The system enables the students to meet the following costs for studies in India as well as abroad: admission fees, books & stationery, instruments requisite for the course, monthly fees, examination fees, insurance premium for policy on life of the borrowing student, caution deposit/ building fund/ refundable deposit supported by bills/ receipts, expenses like study tours/ project work/ thesis etc. required to total the course, boarding and lodging expenses, and travel expenses/ passage money including air fare for amalgamation the course abroad.

 Eligibility to secure education loan:

(1). should be an Indian National.

(2). Secured admission to Professional / Technical courses through Entrance Test / Selection process.

(3). Secured admission to foreign University / Institutions.

(4). Student should have secured pass marks in the qualifying Examination for admission to Graduation Courses.

New update from US Embassy :

Now its official. USCIS announced today that “We have received about 163,000 H1B petitions for year 2009 that starts from 1st of October 2008. About 31,200 of those are for Master or post graduate Degree category.  Even this time we will have lottery system for visa allocation.

Even as the contest for filing H-1B work permit applications for economic year 2009 hots up, the US Embassy in Delhi is anxious over the growing number of fraudulent petitions from India. Peter G Kaestner, minister counsellor for consular affairs and consul-general at the US Embassy in Delhi, told ET: “The number of bogus appeal for H1B visas from India being filed with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is on the rise. This has cause huge concern because it unfavorably impacts authentic business people from India who may lose out because the number of H1B visas issued every year is capped at 65,000.”

Previous year, H1B visa cap was reached within a day of the start of the application process on April 1, 2007. This year too, experts and lawyers sense that the quota for fiscal 2009 will be filled up within a couple of hours after USCIS starts tolerant application on April 1, 2008.

“USCIS sends the petitions to us for verification after the applications are filed and last year we’ve found many cases of people who were job shoppers filing applications through bogus companies for H1Bs. We have also unearth cases of frauds in student travel permit requests from India, including a college in the US philanthropic out fraudulent 1-20 SEVIS forms to students who did not qualify for the courses.

Therefore, we have to be more careful this year in scanning the documents,” added Mr Kaestner. For the financial year 2007, the in general non-immigrant category US visas subject in India went up by 58% to 7,25,532. Of this, H1 visas were up to 72,288 from 55,017 in financial year 2006.

FY 2009 H-1B Cap Update

FY 2009 H-1B Cap Update From AILA’s Service Center Operations Committee

Cite as “AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 08021230 (posted Feb. 12, 2008)”

AILA’s Service Center Operations Liaison Committee discussed several issues regarding the upcoming H-1B filing “season,” as well as recently-announced filing changes for institutions of higher learning, their affiliates, and research institutions on February 6, 2008. (See AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 08013133.) The following is an unofficial summary of the Q & A with SCOPS.

1. Should Premium Processing be used for cap-subject filings?

USCIS expects that the cap-subject H-1B receipt volume will be similar to last year. While Premium Processing is currently available, it may need to be suspended (as it was last year) for some period of time. USCIS understands that Premium Processing is used to get a quicker receipt. However, attorneys may want to consider waiting to see if a petition receives a cap number and then interfile the I-907. If there are any official changes to the Premium Processing option for these cases, USCIS will let AILA know. If you decide to file cases concurrently with Premium Processing make sure that clients are aware that the 15 days may not be guaranteed if there is a change to the program.

2. Can a petitioner file duplicate H-1B filings to increase chances of obtaining a cap number?

USCIS is currently drafting a regulation to address this question, expected to be published in the coming weeks, which will contain some sort of prohibition on the filing of duplicate cases. The definition of what is considered a “duplicate” will be addressed in that regulation. Please note that it is AILA’s understanding that a petition filed under both the regular and the master’s cap would not be considered a duplicate, but we will need to wait for the regulation to confirm.

3. What will happen to cap cases filed in the wrong Service Center?

Members should make sure to follow the guidance provided by USCIS on where to file their cases. Cap-subject cases should be filed based on the jurisdiction of the worksite. (For Direct Filing addresses, see AILA InfoNet Doc. 07030964.) Cases that are filed at a wrong service center will be rejected.

4. What about e-filing?

E-filing will not be available for I-129 H petitions, including those which are cap-exempt.

5. Please clarify what petitions are to be filed at the CSC. Is it any petition that is not subject to cap-counting, including both cap-exempt and those already counted, or is it limited to petitions from institutions of higher learning, their affiliates, and non-profit and governmental research institutions?

On February 1, 2008, the USCIS published a USCIS Update designating the CSC as the place to file petitions by institutions of higher education and organizations and affiliated entities, and non-profit and governmental research institutions. (See AILA InfoNet Doc. 08013133) Petitions for cap-exempt individuals (e.g., petitions for physicians to serve in shortage areas) and petitions for aliens already counted are to be filed according to established jurisdictional rules. (See AILA InfoNet Doc. 07030964) A formal Federal Register notice in filing locations is in process. Until the notice is published in the Federal Register, H-1B cap-exempt petitioners are encouraged to file at the CSC under the terms of the USCIS Update. SCOPS advises that for the present time those sent to other service centers will not be rejected, but will be relocated. Once the formal Federal Register notice is published, filing those petitions at the CSC will be mandatory and petitions filed incorrectly will be rejected.

Source:  http://www.usvisa.com/fy_2009_h1b_cap_update.shtml

Worldwide students can live separately in Australia for as little as AUD $265 a week, but prices vary substantially depending on the suburb and type of accommodation you want. Like all cities, Australia boasts a wide range of accommodation options to suit all budgets and tastes.

Here is a guide to weekly living expenses in Australia:

(A)Accommodation: $90-$250

(B)Gas & electricity: $25

(C)Telephone/postage: $20-$30

(D)Groceries: $80

(E)Transport $15-$20

(F)Clothing, entertainment etc $35+

(G)Total weekly spend $265 - $440

What are my housing options?

All Australian education institutions have a legal duty to assist new international students with accommodation on their arrival in Australia, and many have additional support to help you settle in for the longer term.

(A) On-campus: On-campus accommodation, university residences and residential colleges: may be situated on-campus or within a short distance, generally includes a single furnished bedroom, access to computers and the internet and a shared laundry and kitchen facility. Most are supervised and provide meals on weekdays.

(B) Home stay: involves living with an Australian family and allows you to experience Australian family life. Home stay is the most common form of accommodation for high school students but is also taken up by some tertiary students.

(C) Private rental: affordable right in the city centre and inner suburbs of Australia, many within easy walking distance to central universities and institutions. Prices vary greatly depending on geographical area, demand, the number of people sharing and facilities provided. For rooms, houses and apartments for rent, look in Australia’s daily newspaper, The Advertiser.

(D) International residences: aim to assist students with the transition from living at home to independent living, by providing a quiet, managed environment for students who may prefer hostel living to the dynamics of shared households.