Financial requirements for Student Visas

If you are applying for a student visa; the following people can be in the list provides sources of funds and people who are acceptable as financial guarantors.

Acceptable sources of income

The money to support you and your family members must come from one or more acceptable sources, which may include:

• a money deposit with a financial institution that has been held for at least six consecutive months immediately before the date of your visa application by
  • you
  • your spouse
  • your brother or sister
  • your parents
  • your grandparents
  • your aunt or uncle (only if they usually live in Australia and are either a citizen/permanent resident of Australia or an eligible New Zealand citizen)
• a loan from a financial institution made to (and in the name of)
  • you
  • your spouse
  • your brother or sister
  • your parents
  • your grandparents
  • your aunt or uncle (only if they usually live in Australia and are either a citizen/permanent resident of Australia or an eligible New Zealand citizen)
• a loan from the government of your home country
• your proposed education provider
• the Australian Government or an Australian State or Territory government
• the government of a foreign country
• a provincial or state government of a foreign country that has the written support of the national government of the foreign country
• an organisation gazetted by the Minister
• an acceptable non-profit organisation
• a multilateral agency.
  Examples: United Nations, World Bank or Asian Development Bank

Note: Non-cash assets such as property and shares are not acceptable sources of income. However, non-cash assets may be liquidated or used as collateral on a loan, if they are provided by an acceptable source.

Providing evidence of money deposits or loans

You need to show evidence of how the money to fund your studies was accumulated.

If your source of income is a money deposit held in a bank account, you must provide the following evidence:

• pay slips
• bank loan documents
• interest from investments.

If your source of income is a loan, you must provide the following evidence:

• a bank statement showing the amount of available credit
• a statement from the holder of the loan that its purpose is to support your studies.

Note: If your source of income is a home loan with a redraw facility from an Australian financial institution, the funds from the redraw facility may be considered a loan. A home loan with a redraw facility from a non-Australian financial institution may be acceptable, but must be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Financial support from a non-profit organisation

A non-profit organisation providing you with financial support must be lawfully established and operating in Australia or overseas.

You must show evidence of the organisation's non-profit status, including:

• statement from the Australian Taxation Office showing organisation's status
• documents of incorporation as a non-profit organisation.

You must also show evidence that the organisation has sufficient funds or income to support you financially. Evidence may include:

• bank statements
• financial statements.

Supporting family members when studying for less than 12 months

If you are applying to study in Australia for less than 12 months, your family members are not eligible to come with you to Australia. However, you must show that you have enough funds to support your family members in your home country, taking into consideration the standard cost of living in that country.

Junaid

Migration Agent Registration Number: 0964018

Formula for calculating two year study

After a lot of searching, I have finally found out the formula, the immigration department case officers use, to calculate whether a student has studied for two years or not.

Here is the formula.

T=L X C/U , where:

T= Duration for which the student studied the course
L= length of course on CRICOS
C = number of units completed by student, excluding exemptions
U = number of units which would be necessary to complete the studies


Hope this helps all those who are not clear about the two year study rule.

Kind Regards

Junaid

Migration Agent Registration Number: 0964018

Assessment level changes for student visas from 1st of Sept 2008

The immigration department has undertaken a review of the student visa Assessment Levels (ALs). This review resulted in changes to the Assessment Levels for 52 countries in one or more education sectors.

The changes are specified in legislative instruments that are available on the Commonwealth of Australia Law website.
See: ComLaw

The new Assessment Levels will be in effect from 1 September 2008. Student visa applications lodged on or after 1 September 2008 will be subject to these new Assessment Levels.

As of 1 September 2008 Form 1219i Overseas Student Program - Assessment Levels will reflect the new Assessment Levels.
See: Student Assessment Levels - 1 September 2008 (184KB PDF file)

Note: The two errors previously identified in the legislative instruments specifying Assessment Levels have been corrected. All Assessment Level changes will be in effect from 1 September 2008.

Assessment Levels and the Student Visa Program

A record number of more than 278,000 student visas were granted in the 2007-08 program year. This represents more than 21 per cent growth in the student visa program in one year.

The department considers each of these student visa applications on their individual merits. Assessment Levels (ALs) streamline this process, allowing the department to deliver fast and efficient service to our clients while maintaining the integrity of Australia’s immigration program.

Transparency in visa requirements and consistent decisions are a pivotal part of the student visa program. In 2007-08, visas were granted to students from over 190 different countries. Assessment Levels, as an objective measure of immigration risk for each of these student groups, are a key tool in determining visa requirements and enable consistency in decisions across this diverse range of clients.

There are five Assessment Levels in the student visa program. They serve to align student visa requirements to the immigration risk posed by applicants from a particular country studying in a particular education sector. Assessment Level 1 represents the lowest immigration risk and Assessment Level 5 the highest. The higher the Assessment Level, the greater the evidence an applicant is required to demonstrate to support their claims for the grant of a student visa.

How are Assessment Levels determined?

Each country, across each education sector, is assigned an Assessment Level which is based on the calculated immigration risk posed by students from that country studying in that education sector.

To determine the Assessment Level of a particular country and education sector, the department examines that group’s compliance with their visa conditions and other indicators of their immigration risk in the previous year.

Where these statistical indicators show that a group has a higher level of immigration risk over a sustained period, the department responds to this trend by raising the Assessment Level of that group. In effect, this requires applicants to submit a higher level of evidence to support their claims that they wish to study in Australia.

Where a group’s indicators demonstrate that they tend to abide by their visa conditions, these lower immigration risk groups have their Assessment Level lowered. This streamlines the visa process by reducing the level of evidence that these applicants need to submit to support their claims for a student visa.

The department regularly undertakes a comprehensive risk assessment of the entire student visa caseload and reviews the Assessment Levels to ensure that they align to the immigration risk of groups.

What Assessment Level am I?

The passport you hold and the education sector of your principal course will determine the Assessment Level of your visa application.

To identify the Assessment Level for your visa application, match your passport type with the visa subclass for the education sector of your principal course.

Form 1219i contains a list of the current Assessment Levels for all passports and education sectors. Your Assessment Level is the one in effect for your passport and visa subclass on the date that you lodged a valid application with the department.

See: Information form 1219i Overseas Student Program - Assessment Levels (58KB PDF file)

If your passport is not listed in the table on Form 1219i you will be subject to Assessment Level 3. If you are sponsored by AusAID or Defence and are applying for a subclass 576 – AusAID/Defence student visa you will be subject to Assessment Level 2.

What Assessment Level are my family members?

Your family members may be eligible to apply for a visa to accompany you to Australia. Family members are subject to the same Assessment Level as the student, regardless of the type of passport the family member holds.
See: Bringing Family

Junaid

Migration Agent Registration Number: 0964018

Points for PR

For most General Skilled Migration visas, your application will be assessed against a points test. You can claim points under a range of different factors. The maximum points that can be claimed in any one factor reflects how valuable those characteristics are in the Australian labour market or in assisting settlement.

What is the pass mark?

The pass mark is the total points you need to score to be eligible for a points–tested General Skilled Migration visa.

What happens if you don't meet the pass mark?

If you have applied for a Skilled – Independent (Migrant) visa (subclass 175) or a Skilled – Sponsored (Migrant) visa (subclass 176) and you score below the pass mark, but above the 'pool mark', your application will be held 'in the pool' for up to two (2) years after assessment.

If the pass mark is lowered at any time in that two (2) year period, and your score is equal to or higher than the new pass mark, your application will be processed further.

Rather than waiting in the pool, you could consider the following visa options if you do not meet the pass mark:

1. If you score 100 points you may be eligible for a Skilled – Sponsored (Migrant) visa (subclass 176) or a Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) visa (subclass 475) visa.
   See:
   Skilled – Sponsored (Migrant) visa (subclass 176) visa
   Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) visa (subclass 475) visa
2. If you meet the pool mark for the Skilled – Independent (Migrant) visa (Subclass 175), you can still lodge and register for the Skill Matching Database. More information on Skill Matching is available.
   See: Skill Matching Database
   

What are the current pass and pool marks?

The table below lists all the current pass and pool marks for the points–tested visas in the General Skilled Migration category.

Category	Pass mark	Pool mark
Skilled – Independent (Migrant) visa (subclass 175)	120	100
Skilled – Sponsored (Migrant) visa (subclass 176)	100	80
Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) visa (subclass 475)	100	100
Skilled – Independent (Residence) visa (subclass 885)	120	120
Skilled – Sponsored (Residence) visa (subclass 886)	100	100
Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Provisional) visa (subclass 487)	100	100

How often do the pass and pool marks change?

Changes to the pass and pool marks occur to address Australian labour market needs.

You should check the current pass mark immediately before making an application. You will be assessed against the pass and pool mark that is in effect on the day you make your application.

Points Break down

You can calculate your points at this link

http://www.workpermit.com/australia/point_calculator.htm

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Please note that the pass marks are subject to change. You should check the latest pass marks when making decisions. I will update my blog regularly to reflect any changes in the pass marks.

Junaid

Migration Agent Registration Number: 0964018

A-Z Immigration guide for International Students and Professionals

Since I have been receiving large volumes of email requesting me to explain in detail about how to migrate to Australia, I will try to answer this not-easy-to-answer question over here.

You can migrate to Australia by following different path ways.

One such path way is by coming to Australia as an international student and then applying for Permanent Residency, PR.

The point to note while applying for PR is that you have to gain certain number of points. If you can score the required points, you get PR. If not then you have to do some thing else to get extra points to be eligible for PR.

How much points you have to score? That depends on the type of immigration you are applying for. For a complete list of different categories of immigration, please check this post.

Once you have determined which category you have to apply through, you look up the required score for your category. For example, these days, the score required for International students is 120. For a complete list of scores for different categories, check this post.

Once you have determined what the required score is, you go about calculating whether you can score that much points or not.

So this is a brief over view of how to immigrate to Australia.

1. Chose your category.
2. Check the score for that category.
3. See if you can score that many points or not.


Now there are two ways to immigrate. On shore and offshore immigration. I have explained both of them in the post mentioned above. You can visit it here.

I will first explain the process of immigrating for those people who want to immigrate to Australia as international students.

Immigrate to Australia as an International Student

The reason most people are interested in coming to Australia as an international student is because later on they want to apply for PR and get settled down in Australia. If you are one of them then read what I have written below.

If you want to apply for PR after completing your post graduate degree, you need a great deal of planning. You need to have the precise knowledge of how many points you will get once you finish your degree and whether you can then apply for PR with that number of points or not. If not, then what is the way to make up for those points. Make sure you know ever thing before you come to Australia. It would be of no use if you complete your only to know that you are short of 5 points. You will be left high and dry in the middle of no where and your whole two years of emotional, physical, financial and academic investment would be ruined.


Ok enough of advices. Time to get down to the basics.

Step 1.

If you want to immigrate to Australia, you need to have some thing which Australia needs. A particular type of Skill which is in demand in Australia.

How can you tell if the skills you have are in demand or not?

You can check that from the Skilled Occupation List SOL, or the Most on Demand List, MODL.

There is no difference between SOL and MODL except that certain professions on SOL are in high demand and therefore placed on MODL. If you have skills of an occupation listed on MODL, you will claim bonus points for that.


What if my profession is not on SOL?

If your profession is not on SOL, you will score less points then those whose occupations are listed on SOL. So all you have to do is to get those extra points from other alternative means to cover up for your occupation not being in SOL.

Check this post to see how to get extra bonus points.

What next?

The next step is to apply for an admission in an Australian university for a post graduate degree which is closely related to the profession of your choice. I will deal with undergraduate degrees later on.

This profession of choice would be the same as the one you have chosen on SOL. Please note that the word "closely related" is very technical in nature and you should be completely sure that your degree IS actually closely related to your choice of profession.

You are also supposed to be enrolled in a course which is a valid CRICOS course. If you enrol in a course which is not a valid CRICOS course, you are not eligible for PR.

How Do I know that my degree will fetch me 60 points or not?

That's pretty easy. Simply check the website of your assessing authority's website and see if the degree you are undertaking is listed on the website or not. If it is, then how many points is it worth for?

For example, I did a 2 years MSc Internetworking Extended from UTS. My assessing authority is Australian Computer society, ACS. The ACS lists all the degrees from all the universities of Australia, which it recognises as valid degrees and also assigns scores to those degrees. ACS has listed my degree as worth 60 points.

Since the time I wrote this article, ACS has revamped their website and now instead of mentioning the number of points, they simple mention if the degree is of professional level or associate level. So what you need to do is that you contact ACS and ask the question

"If I complete the degree ABC, would I be able to get a positive skills assessment in profession XYZ which has the ASCO code 1234 on the SOL? You can also ask ACS if a degree being associate or professional has any effect on getting a positive skills assessment for a particular profession."

Actually I will myself ask this question from ACS and if they respond I will put their response here as many people have asked me the same question.

Similarly, you check the website for your assessing authority for the degree you are doing.

The assessing authorities are listed on the SOL and MODL.

Two Years study

Also you should remember, that to be fulfil the prerequisites of PR, you should have studied in Australia for two years. What does that mean? Check this post. Understanding the two year rule is very necessary.

The bottom line is that before you apply for PR, you should have studied in degrees, diplomas or trade certificates for a total official period of 92 weeks.

If your degree was of 52 weeks but you completed it in 92 weeks, it will still be considered as 52 weeks NOT 92 weeks. Check the post for more details.

You can complete these 92 weeks by studying one degree or by studying multiple degrees, diplomas or trade certificates.

Ok I have finished my degree now what?

Congrats! Apply for PR! What else? But it would be wise to consult a lawyer before you do that just to make sure if things are in the right order or not.

This was a brief primer to immigration to Australia for International students.

I will discuss immigration for other professionals who dont want to spend money in over post graduate education and want to apply for offshore immigration. Visit this post for updated information.


A few facts about Skilled independent Visa Sub class 885.

The 885 visa sub class allows overseas students who have completed their course studies in Australia and holders of certain temporary visas to apply for permanent residency.

This visa uses a points test to select visa applicants with characteristics needed in the Australian labour market.

You do not require sponsorship to apply for this visa.

Who is this visa for?

This visa is for you if you are in Australia and you are one of the following:

• an overseas student or former overseas student
• a holder of a Skilled – Graduate (subclass 485) visa or Skilled – Recognised Graduate (subclass 476) visa
• a holder of a Trade Skills Training (subclass 471) visa.

You must:

• be under 45 years of age
• have good English language skills
• have the skills and qualifications that meet the Australian standard for an occupation on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) and your nominated occupation is classified as either:
  • a 60 point occupation
    or
  • a 50 point occupation

The SOL is a list of skilled occupations that are in need in Australia. Each occupation listed on the SOL is allocated a points value for use in the visa assessment process.
See: Form 1121i Skilled Occupation List (SOL) and Employer Nomination Scheme Occupation List (ENSOL) (129KB PDF file)

How much does this visa cost?

You must pay the relevant visa application charge when you lodge your visa application.
See: Professionals and other Skilled Migrants

What does this visa let me do?

This visa allows you and any secondary applicants included in your visa application to live as permanent residents in Australia.

Australian permanent residents can:

• live and work in Australia on a permanent basis
• study in Australia at school or university
• receive subsidised healthcare through Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
• access certain social security payments (subject to waiting periods)
• be eligible for Australian citizenship (subject to the residency eligibility criteria)
• sponsor people for permanent residence.

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Junaid

Migration Agent Registration Number: 0964018

What if I cannot apply for PR?

This post is for people who are interested in studying in Australia, are currently studying in Australia or about to finish their degrees from an Australian University.

Now that you have finished your degree, you would be interested in getting some valuable Australian work experience by working in your related field of profession.


Most students who have planned their stay and studies well would be able to apply for Permanent Residency which gives them lots of room for applying for jobs relevant to their fields.

But if you are one of those unlucky ones who didn't plan their stay and now find themselves in a situation where you cannot apply for Permanent residency, and you also want to get some work experience in your own field before you return back to your home country, then here are a few tips and tricks for you.

1. First of all, dont lose heart if you cannot fetch enough points of PR. There are lots of other visa schemes which can help you out like state sponsored nominated and employer sponsored etc. Talk to a lawyer and may be he can tell you of a way out.

2. If you have no other options, then you can always apply for a Graduate skilled visa.

Skilled – Graduate (Temporary) visa (subclass 485)

An 18 month temporary visa for overseas students who have obtained an Australian qualification in Australia as a result of at least two (2) years study. Allows applicants who are unable to pass the points test to remain in Australia for 18 months to gain the skills and experience needed to apply for a permanent or provisional General Skilled Migration visa. No points test applies.

The 485 temporary graduate skilled visa is only being offered to students who are eligible for transitional arrangements.

Transitional arrangements for students and former student visa holders were announced on 8 February 2010, the day on which the Australian Government announced a number of skilled migration reforms. These transitional arrangements are in place until 31 December 2012.
You are eligible for transitional arrangements in relation to points tested skilled migration if:

• on 8 February 2010 you held a Skilled - Graduate (Subclass 485) visa
  or
• on or before 8 February 2010 you made a valid application for a Skilled - Graduate (Subclass 485) visa and the visa application has not been finally determined

So if you are not part of the transitional arrangements then you will not be able to apply for the graduate skilled visa.

Check my post at this link for a complete list of various offshore and onshore options.

Please note that you can only apply for the graduate skilled visa if and only if you have studied for two years in Australia. Please make sure you understand what the two years rule means. I have explained that in another post. Visit the link to get and understanding of it.

So this 18 months graduate skilled visa gives you the option of staying and working in Australia. Now its up to you to get a job and get work experience in your own field.

You might also be able to claim extra bonus points based on your work experience and actually be able to apply for permanent residency later on.


I hope this post explains what to do once you have finished your degree.
Junaid

Tips and Tricks for International Students in Australia

First time in Australia? Few tips for you

Being an international student in Australia, I went though many ups and downs. I would like to share some important information with you and provide you with vital tips and tricks for survival in Australia.


1. Finding Accomondation ?

Answer: a) Best website - www.realestate.com.au and also www.domain.com.au

b) Uni - Notice board (most of the uni's have notice boards where you can find heaps of available accommodation. Most Unis also have online boards which you can access online before you come to Australia and hence make arrangements for yourself even before you land in Australia) usually near to student council offices and most unis have their own housing websites.


Word of Advice regarding accommodation

It would be very beneficial for you to live as near as possible to the university. If you cannot afford to live near the university campus, then live a few suburbs away from the university and commute to and from the university using a bicycle. I know many people who live far from the university but I still prefer living near the university because of the associated benefits. I will writing a more detailed article regarding living and lodging in Sydney.


2. Transportation ?

Answer: Best part I like is that you do not need to buy diffrent tickets for Bus, Tram, ferries and Train. Same ticket works for you everywhere in public transport. International students please remember that there is no concession tickets for you.

More info can be found at http://www.131500.info/realtime/default.asp

You even have a online trip planner.


3. Job Search ? What kind of jobs are in demand?

Answer: Best two sites are

a) www.seek.com.au
b) www.mycareer.com.au

Unis also have their own job boards. Keep an eye on them too.

Getting a professional job in your own field is a little bit difficult but not impossible. Most students from the sub-continent do not have the skills to make a good resume and give the right answers to all the knotty questions most employers ask in the interviews. If you are an international student, chances are that you will have a twenty hours per week work restriction on your visa. The study load combined with work rights limitations makes it very hard to find a job because most employers want full time employees. I will be providing more information on how to get a good job in Australia and how to make a good resume. Keep checking my blog.


4. Weather & Clothing

Answer: The weather is quite moderate through out the year in Sydney depending upon where you live. The farther you live from the coast, the more colder/warmer it is depending upon what weather conditions. In Melbourne it is very cold in winters and very hot in summers. Please note that because Australia is in the southern hemisphere, the summers and winters are not at the same time of the year as they are in other parts of the world. In Australia, winters come in June, July while summers come in December, January.


5. Vegitarian? Looking for cheap Vegetables and utensils?


Answer: Paddys market is the best place to buy cheap fruit and vegetables. Please note that vegetables as compared to meat, chicken and fish are expensive in Australia.


5. Electronic Items ?

Answer: Australian standard is 240 volts with frequency of 50 Hertz. Most of the universal converters are available in super markets.


6. Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service


Answer: Please read it carefully, Australians are strict and serious about this. Australian Quarantine Services.

If you don't pay attention to what is written above, you might get fined for violating Australian Quarantine rules and regulations. This might even happen on your first arrival.



7. Flying in Plane for the first time?

Answer: In your hand luggage you should carry

1. Your passport and student visa, aeroplane ticket, money, important documents and valuables
2. Items that will be declared at Australian Customs
3. A spare copy of the front pages of your passport and visa
4. Emergency clothing and a jacket
5. Suitcases and other luggage should be 'LOCKED' and tagged with your name, address and contact telephone numbers.

Junaid

Migration Agent Registration Number: 0964018