Study abroad News by ArrayGlobe.com

Shady agents lurk in path to foreign varsities

When Amanpreet Bajwa and her husband Aman decided to go back to school to get advanced degrees, they opted to apply to universities in Canada.

Both in their early 30s, Amanpreet, a registered nurse, and Aman, an international English language testing system trainer, wanted the practical training, hands-on education and global exposure they believed only studying overseas would provide them.

After several years of careful budgeting, they managed to save the money they would need for the visas, tuition fees and living expenses.

Unfamiliar with the Canadian college system, they turned to a local educational consultant in Chandigarh for guidance on which schools they should apply to and how to navigate the visa process. The consultant asked for Rs.5 lakh-Rs.2.7 lakh upfront-for tuition and “consultancy fees”. When the couples’ visa applications were denied, he disappeared with the money.

Such stories are becoming increasingly common among Indian students hoping to study overseas-particularly those from cities in Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.

The drive for overseas education has precipitated the growth of an industry of third-party education consultants to help match prospective students with suitable universities in choice destinations like the US, the UK, Australia and newer ones such as Singapore, New Zealand and Hong Kong, and parts of Europe outside the UK.

Legitimate education consultants guide students on how to navigate the plethora of overseas options to find best-fit universities, how to write their applications and secure visas.

But some unscrupulous agents who charge students lakhs of rupees disappear. Others falsify visa documents-sometimes without students’ knowledge or consent-exposing them to the risk of being barred for up to 10 years from the country where they hoped to study.

Balwinder Iqbal Singh Kahlon, who heads an anti-fraud unit in Jalandhar police, says that on average he gets between 10 and 20 phone calls complaining about such agents each month in Jalandhar alone, although he suspects the vast majority of cases go unreported.

Earlier this year, concerns over the dealings of unethical education agents led David Manicom, a Canadian diplomat, to make a special trip to Punjab after the police connected a Jalandhar-based agent named Sandeep Ohri to 228 of the 500 student visa applications rejected by Canadian immigration. Many of the applications were accompanied by fake financial documents.

Ohri, who advertised his business, OGIC Education Consultants, through billboards across Jalandhar, newspaper ads and frequent radio and television commercials, managed to defraud thousands of local students and make off with tens of thousands of dollars before he was finally arrested, according to news reports. Many more like him continue to operate.

Arun Jacob, a Hyderabad-based education consultant specializing in New Zealand and Australia universities, and the founder of Array Globe.com, a Dell-awarded portal for overseas education, says that in the absence of any regulations governing the industry, such fraud has gotten out of control, and is giving even legitimate agents a bad name. “There are too many unethical agents. The fraud in the documentation, the misinformation that is given to students is really bad,” Jacob said. “Crime has become too widespread.”

Naveen Chopra, who has been in the industry for almost 10 years (his education consulting company, The Chopras, is recognized by the Australian high commission as one of the “trusted” companies it recommends to students) says there is an important difference between so-called “agents” and proper immigration consultants.

“Consulting is when you holistically evaluate the student and suggest what is best for the student in terms of their course or university choice,” he says. “Agents often push the students to institutions where they’ll get a higher commission. Many an agent will almost always compromise the interest of the student in order to get a higher commission.” Unfortunately, according to Chopra, the vast majority of so-called education “consultants” in India, would be more properly classified as “agents”.

The burgeoning of the industry of international education consultants is integrally related to India’s own growth story. While most developed countries confront ageing populations, the numbers of Indian youth continues to swell.

According to the National Commission on Population, roughly half of India’s population will be in the 15-25 age group by 2016. Many of these will be born into India’s rising middle class—with aspirations for education and the resources to pay for it.

While India’s rising population is considered one of the country’s strengths, it also poses challenges.

For one, India’s higher education system is ill-equipped to accommodate rising demand. In 2010, at least 204,000 students applied to the Indian Institutes of Management for less than 3,000 seats at the elite business schools. Around 485,000 applied to take the test for 9,600 seats at 15 Indian Institues of Technology in 2010.

Even getting high marks is not always sufficient to secure a spot in a college of choice. This year, the cut-off for several of the most competitive programmes in Delhi University colleges was 97% and above.

“Indian education has become extremely competitive,” says Chopra. “If a student does not have top marks, many are left (with) very few choices often with no place to go.”

Earlier this year, the human resource development ministry estimated the number of Indian students pursuing higher education overseas at 264,000, spending approximately Rs.27,000 crore abroad annually (more than twice the amount set aside in the Union budget for higher education).

International universities are keen to court Indian students, who often pay up to twice the tuition fee charged to local candidates. Globally, international education has become extremely profitable. In total, international students contribute $20 billion (around Rs.96,000 crore) per year to the US - making education the fifth largest export service in the country.

Unable to interact with international students directly, many universities turn to international “recruiters” - many of whom also moonlight as education consultants, sometimes charging students exorbitant fees for their “services”.

Critics argue that this dual role-representing universities on the one hand, and “helping” students find suitable universities on the other-sets up a fundamental conflict of interest.

According to Jacob, MD of the Hyderabad-based overseas consulting firm, universities give commissions of 10-40% of the first year’s tuition fee for each student enrolled. “When someone offers 10% on a $20,000 course, some agents will do anything and everything including submitting fraudulent documents to get that student into that college,” he says.

But many agents-already receiving commissions from universities-are also charging students rates that are far above reasonable. In Punjab, some agents charge students up to Rs.10 lakh in exchange for a “guarantee” that they will be successful in securing a visa and getting into their university of choice.

Philip Altbech, a researcher and expert on international higher education at Boston College, worries that conflicting financial incentives might drive agents to push students to apply to universities that are paying them-like Tri-Valley University in California or University of Northern Virginia-rather than the one that’s most suitable.

Tri-Valley was raided in January and shut down by federal authorities for suspected immigration fraud. University of Northern Virginia’s Annandale campus was raided in July.

“To me the basic dilemma is that the agents are representing institutions, not students, and their job is to get people in the door for the places that are paying them,” says Altbech. “They might have the world’s best interest in mind, or they might send students to Tri-Valley and other podunk universities regardless of whether it’s best for them.”

Such was nearly the experience of Vaibhav Mathur, a 22-year-old recent engineering graduate from the University of Rajasthan in Jaipur. Mathur was interested in pursuing a masters degree from Middlesex University, and approached an agent offering educational services to the UK through a newspaper ad.

But it quickly became clear that he would not get any help applying to his university of choice. “They gave me bad advice and kept pushing Bedfordshire,” he said.

Luckily, his story has a happy ending: He fired that agent, hired the Chopras, has successfully secured a student visa, and will be leaving for Middlesex University this month.

In February, the ministry of overseas Indian affairs announced that it would introduce legislation making it mandatory for agents to register with the Indian government or face fines and jail terms.

Receiving countries have had an equally difficult time deciding how best to manage the middleman: Australia, one of the first countries to heavily market higher education to international students, has a recommended list of education consultants belonging to an association. New Zealand has a similar list, while the US has eschewed “approving” agents, instead preferring universities to decide for themselves which ones to work with.

Jacob is doubtful how effective fines will be in deterring unethical consultants. “One out of every 100 might get busted because a kid might complain,” says Jacob. “But for every one that is shut down, five more start up-and you know how it is in India. You get busted, you pay the cops and you get out.”

Future for Andhra Students uncertain in US

The website of the University of Northern Virginia (UNVA), will tell you the university is accredited by the American University Accreditation Council (AUAC), an accrediting body. But it will also tell you that AUAC is not recognised by the US Department of Education.

UNVA says that though it is one of the few graduate schools in the US which does not require a GRE or GMAT score for its master's students, it recommends the international applicants not already in the US, to take the GRE test as they would be viewed as a more "serious" student by the US visa officer when they apply for the visa."

These and many such suggestions dot the university's website which was raided by the US Department of Homeland Security on Thursday regarding an alleged visa fraud.

The university, with a total strength of 2,400 students, has around 90% of its students from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. While UNVA will be temporarily blocked from accepting new international students, overseas education consultants in Hyderabad say that students have already begun considering options other than the US for higher studies.

“It is their greed for dollar dreams that lands these students in such situation. In this age and time when they have information available on their fingertips, they fall prey to sham agents and such universities,” said Arun Jacob, managing director, Array Globe.com, an overseas education consultant based out of Hyderabad. Jacob adds that many of these students fall for the work-while-you-study scheme offered by such universities and thus land in trouble.

Early this year, Tri-Valley University, another sham university was shut down after being raided by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement due to a possible visa fraud. Majority of the students at the university again, were from Andhra Pradesh. UNVA's enrollment practices and business model is said to be on the same lines as those of Tri-Valley University. It had enrolled students who work full-time in without being required to attend actual classes.

“Many students who were looking at US universities for their higher education have already sought clarification from us on their accreditation process so far. While it is good that students are doubly checking the status of the universities they wish to study at, it may also see student traffic getting diverted from US to other nations,” said the vice president of an overseas education consultancy which specializes in sending students to the US .

Consultants say Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Hyderabad are the cities which have reported a spurt in sending students to such sham universities overseas. Agents get anywhere between 15-20% commission from universities to send students to them.

“There are many agents in the market who have made sending students to such universities their business. These students too, without doing their due diligence, fall for the immigration racket. Credible registered agents in India is the need of the hour,” adds Jacob.

Agents also say that there is no single accreditation body in the US which accredits universities and colleges. It is largely state accreditation that universities bank on. While in the UK, the UK Border Agency maintains a list of accredited institutes, even Australia and New Zealand release list of accredited institutes in their country.

After Tri-Valley, University of Northern Virginia under probe for visa fraud

US has assured to protect the interests of hundreds of Indian students at the University of Northern Virginia (UNVA), which was raided by investigating and law enforcement agencies on suspected charges of alleged visa fraud. In a day-long exercise, which was continuing late in the evening, dozens of officials, from different federal agencies including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI)), entered the Annandale campus of the university and took away with them a large number of boxes full of documents and computer hard drives from its administrative division.

"Today, officials from ICE's Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP) served UNVA with a Notice of Intent to Withdraw (NOIW) UNVA's authorization to admit foreign students," ICE spokeswoman Cori W Bassett in a statement. Based in Annandale, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, the university is believed to have 2,400 students of which 90 per cent are from India, of which an overwhelming majority are said to be from Andhra Pradesh. However, based on the experience of the Tri-Valley case, and given that India had strongly objected to the manner in which its students were treated, US authorities are believed to have informed their Indian counterparts that they would be handling the present investigation and follow up action somewhat differently.

Unlike Tri-Valley University, the focus of investigations here is not on students but on the schools itself. No arrest, detention or electronic monitoring would be done on students, officials said. Further, the university would not be immediately shut down. The university has been given a months' notice for explanation. The present students would have one of the three options: continue at the university while it functions, seek transfer to another university and seek voluntary return to India.

In another major relief, visa status of the students would not be terminated, they would remain valid for their present duration, which would also provide time for seeking transfers while continuing in a valid visa status. The university declined to make any comment, neither did it communicated with its students and staff, except for posting a notice on its entrance informing that the university is still open, but students have the choice to move to other varsities or look for other options if they want.

Informed sources said UNVA was authorized to issue I-20 form to about 50 students, but had issued and enrolled a much larger number. In another notice, ICE has informed the UNVA students that they have two choices - continue to attend classes and maintain their active status, seek transfer to another SEVP-approved institution.

"UNVA students must immediately depart the country if they are unable to continue to attend classes and maintain their active status in a manner required by the regulation or if they are unable or do not wish to seek transfer to another SEVP-certified institution," it said.

Canada : Forging ties with Indian universities

A meeting last week of more than 40 university presidents and vice-chancellors from Canada and India is expected to stimulate further research and innovation opportunities between the two countries. The meeting at the first Education Summit at Carleton University in Ottawa came a year after the signing of a bilateral agreement on education.

In spite of being slower off the mark to establish academic relations with India by comparison with other countries, Canadian universities are making up for lost time by establishing deep ties. Last summer, Carleton established a Canada -India Centre for Excellence in Science, Technology and Policy. Headed by an India chair, the institute will help foster greater understanding and cooperation between both countries' higher education communities.

Similarly, York University's Schulich School of Business, Toronto, will break ground this summer when it begins construction of the first Canadian satellite university campus in India's IT and business hub, Hyderabad. Completion of the C$25 million (US$25.47 million) facility is expected for 2013.

But it was the recent conference that most compellingly attested to Canada 's commitment not only to improving mutual understanding with India but, importantly, to enhancing educational opportunities in both countries. The conference addressed ways of expanding collaboration, exchange programmes and graduate student supervision opportunities. The delegates also focused on the thorny issue of credit transfer and considered ways of promoting and increasing the use of technology in and between each country. Key to these goals is the creation of memoranda of understanding (MOUs) between specific universities and higher education programmes in Canada and their counterparts in India.

President and vice-chancellor of Carleton University, said the MOUs would open the door to increased sharing of knowledge and ideas, exchange of students, professors and researchers, sharing resources to solve real world problems as well as basic questions of science and culture.

Speaking at the summit, Indian Minister of State for Human Resource Development (Higher Education), said: "Education can no longer be considered a goal in itself, but rather should be considered a powerful driver of socio-economic change."

The conference was followed by the Canada -India Innovation Summit at which senior industry, government and academic executives considered pathways for scientific and technological collaborations to stimulate economic growth in both countries.

News Presented by Rakesh Menon. Study Abroad Specialist – 28.06.11

Christchurch Earthquake Update for International Students and Families

New Zealand retains foreign students’ skills

Around one third of international students who come to New Zealand stay on following their studies to contribute to our economy and workforce says Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman.

Department of Labour research confirms around 31 percent of fee paying international students find work after their studies and around one-fifth gain permanent residence.

“Not only does New Zealand gain from the economic benefits of having them study here, many international students stay on providing longer-term benefits by contributing their skills to our workforce and economy,’’ Dr Coleman says.

“This research shows that New Zealand is an attractive place to study because of the quality and cost of education in an English speaking country.’’

Dr Coleman says the Government is currently reviewing international student policy to help strengthen the industry and maintain New Zealand's reputation as a quality export education provider.

‘’Another plus for fee-paying foreign students is the recent introduction of interim visas which allows them to continue studying while applying for visas to further their studies. This will smooth the enrolment process for education providers.’’

Export education is one of New Zealand's top five export industries. Last year, international education contributed over $2 billion to the economy in foreign exchange. The sector also supports around 32,000 jobs.

Dr Coleman says the industry is continuing to grow, despite the global recession. Latest enrolment figures show an almost five percent rise in the number of international students for the first eight months of 2010, compared to the same period 2009 (from 78,905 to 82,577).

Students from India had the highest rate of transition to work (72 percent) followed by students from China (43 percent). Similarly, students from India also had the highest rate of transition to permanent residence (47 percent), followed by students from China (23 percent).

The research also found 68 percent of former international students were in fulltime employment 18 months after gaining permanent residence. Nearly one-third – 31 percent – worked in professional occupations and 62 percent worked in a skilled job.

The Department of Labour's Employers of Migrants survey, released last year, found 87 percent of respondents rated their migrant employees good or very good.

News Presented by Rakesh Menon. Study Abroad Specialist – 18.02.11

US assures India of 'fair solution' to TVU students

The United States has assured India of providing 'fair solution' to Indian students affected by the closure of California-based Tri Valley University, which has been accused of a massive visa fraud.

The Under Secretary of State for political affairs William Burns has assured Indian foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, during a meeting, that the US government would provide a "fair solution" to hundreds of Indian students whose academic career were at stake following closer of the Tri Valley University.

Rao was following up on the TVU issue with top US officials, days after external affairs minister SM Krishna raised it in a telephonic conversation with the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

On Monday, Indian ambassador to the US Meera Shankar conveyed to Clinton India's concerns on the issue. Over the next few days, the Indian embassy is going to be in touch with the state department on this issue. During the meeting, with Burns, Rao stressed India's concern about the large number of bonafide students who have been adversely affected by the events surrounding TVU and uncovering of the scam that were concerning that university.

"Our concern was that the future of the students should not be affected and to whatever extent possible this number of students who have not really many of them not been involved in any illegal or negative activities should be accommodate in other universities, should be enable to transfer to other universities without determent or without any disadvantage," she said.

News Presented by Rakesh Menon. Study Abroad Specialist – 17.02.11

INDIA: New law on overseas university agents

A new law making it mandatory for all education agents to register with the Indian government or face fines or jail terms, has been proposed in the wake of reports that some recruitment agents have misled students into joining fake universities abroad, such as the allegedly dubious California-based Tri-Valley University.

The incident in California outraged the Indian public and government when it was reported that US authorities put ankle tags on Indian students enrolled in Tri-Valley, in order to monitor their movements after the university was exposed by the authorities as a 'diploma mill' offering an easy route to immigration and employment in the US.

With the incident escalating into a diplomatic row this week; it could also have important repercussions on the proposed bill to allow foreign higher education providers into India.

The Ministry of Overseas Indian affairs said this week it would introduce a bill regulating overseas university agents, during the upcoming parliamentary session this month. The new law will ensure that such incidents do not occur. It provides for both a fine and a jail term for unregistered education agents found luring students abroad.

Agents typically assist students with visa and university applications, English language requirements and accommodation abroad. Some recruit on behalf of particular overseas universities for a commission payable by the foreign institution. Some of the Indian students at Tri-Valley said they had been duped by unscrupulous education agents in India, who did not alert them to problems at the university.

The new bill also aims to create a database of students studying abroad, but does not make it compulsory for them to register before leaving. Registering, however, will entitle students to seek government help in checking out the authenticity of the institute and the course before they leave India. Australian officials had already asked India to more closely regulate education agents after a spate of immigration-related higher education scams in Australia in 2009. At the time India's human resources ministry informed Australian education officials that it was considering measures to deal with education agents.

Meanwhile much-awaited legislation to allow foreign institutions to set up branches in India has been subjected to increased parliamentary scrutiny as the Tri-Valley case highlighted the issue of bogus and sub-standard foreign institutions. Human resources ministry officials last week faced tough questioning from parliamentarians about the entry of foreign players proposed under the Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operations) Bill introduced in Parliament last year and currently being examined by a parliamentary committee. Ministry officials sought to assure parliamentarians that the foreign provider’s bill included provisions to ensure reputable institutions would be given clearance to operate in the country. But parliament could push for even tougher regulations for foreign universities to guard against unscrupulous and low quality institutions setting up in India.

News Presented by Rakesh Menon. Study Abroad Specialist – 17.02.11

UK: Universities fear impact of visa and jobs curbs.

The UK government's plans to restrict visas and employment rights for non-EU overseas students could have a 'catastrophic' effect on higher education, a panel of university stakeholders has warned.

The proposals, which have been put out for consultation until 31 January, include raising the English language competency requirement, stricter limits on non-EU international students' entitlement to work and their dependants' entitlement to work during the period of study, restrictions on graduates staying on to work, and tighter visa application procedures for extending periods of study.

The proposal to raise the language requirement to B2 on the common European Framework of Reference would cut off the international foundation course pathway used by around half of non-EU foreign students going into university, which is designed to develop your English, your academic capacity, your acculturation and your understanding of the British approach to knowledge. The impact would be so serious that the row over fees would pale by comparison.

International students' fees provide about 9% of the sector income and the proposals are termed damaging and dangerous. International education was a key growth sector for the future of the UK, but the proposals are posing a real threat to that expansion and to the £40 billion (US$64 billion) of foreign earnings which international education can provide for the UK economy in the future.

A large number international students are thinking that possibly their futures were being undermined or betrayed. These included those who felt they could progress seamlessly from one course to the next, and those who were encouraged to come to the UK because they could stay on for two years of work experience after graduation from a British university.

The proposal to ban dependants of students from working has been strongly criticized. It was ridiculous to think that a young bright researcher who was planning to do a two-or-four-year PhD would come to the UK either leaving behind their husband or wife or bringing a husband or wife who would be virtually trapped in the home, probably very talented and skilled, but not allowed even to do voluntary work.

There are some institutions where international students are more important than others. The London School of Economics is a prime example, with around 70% of its students from an international background. Few would dispute that it is a world-leading institution. It is enhanced because of the international environment it has there and it would be an absolute travesty at a time when universities and students are facing unprecedented challenges for an additional, unnecessary and indeed economically counter-productive challenge to be thrown into the mix.

News Presented by Rakesh Menon. Study Abroad Specialist – 31.01.11

Scotland: University fears over tough new visa rules

Scotland will have one of the most restrictive visa regimes in the world for overseas students under Westminster Government plans to crack down on immigration, universities have warned. Universities Scotland, which represents university principals, argues the proposals will make visa conditions here tougher than those of countries such as America, Canada, Australiaand Germany – who are in direct competition for students. Students from countries such as China and India pay significant fees to study in Scotland, providing a crucial source of additional income for universities, particularly at a time of public funding cuts.

The Coalition is proposing to tighten up the issuing of student visas as part of wider restrictions on immigration. Following an initial announcement last year, the UK Borders Agency has now launched a public consultation on reform of the student immigration system. It closes at the end of January.

The agency’s consultation does not propose a specific cap on student numbers, but universities argue the changes are so restrictive they will put Scotland at a major competitive disadvantage. In particular, they are concerned at proposals to limit employment rights, including work placements which are part of a degree, as well as employment between undergraduate and postgraduate study. In addition, the measures would restrict the right of a student’s family to come to Scotland with them.

Universities Scotland has now written to all MPs calling for support for a separate immigration policy for Scotland. The call was backed by Scottish colleges, who also stand to lose out if overseas student numbers are cut.

The income raised from international student fees was worth a total of £188m to all 20 of Scotland’s universities in 2007-08. Taking the sector as a whole, international students account for approximately £16 of every £100 Scotland’s universities receive in income for teaching grants and contracts. A 2009 report by Strathclyde University estimated that overseas students generate £516m of export earnings for Scotland on an annual basis, including off-campus expenditure of £231m.

News Presented by Rakesh Menon. Study Abroad Specialist - 25.01.11

GERMANY: Student mobility rising fast, study shows

The number of German students studying abroad doubled in 2000-08. A survey suggests that they are much more mobile than students from most other countries, with only China, India and South Korea sending more students abroad. At the same time, the number of students from other countries coming to Germany to study rose by around 250% in 11 years. The report on the internationalization of studies demonstrates that the number of students going abroad almost doubled from 52,200 in 2000 to 102,000 in 2008.

The survey was conducted by the German Welfare Service, DSW, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and scientifically backed by Hochschul-Informations-System, a company specializing in higher education statistics. A total of 16,370 students were interviewed in 2009. Of Germany's roughly two million students, 15% had visited a foreign country in connection with their studies, either sections of the courses themselves, practical training, internships or language courses.

The most popular countries for a study period were Spain, France and the UK, while favored destinations for practical training or internships abroad were the US, the UK and France. The survey also found that women were more mobile than men. Three-quarters of these mobile students were supported by their parents, more than half of them worked to save money for their stay abroad, either before the stay or afterwards, and 30% received government grants.

Whether students go abroad appears to depend strongly on their social background. Young people from well-earning families with good education levels tend to seek a stay abroad almost twice as often as students from households with poor education levels and low income. The number of students from abroad rose from 100,033 in 1997 to 245,522 in 2008, putting Germany third worldwide in terms of popularity after the US and the UK. Young people from developing countries, emerging economies and East European countries seem particularly keen to study in Germany. Most of them come from China, followed by Russia, Poland, Bulgaria and Turkey.

News Presented by Rakesh Menon. Study Abroad Specialist - 17.01.11

AUSTRALIA: Uncertain times ahead for universities

Higher education institutions will be looking forward this year with increasing uncertainty to 2012 when a previously untried system of open enrolments begins. The government will then lift restrictions on enrolment numbers and universities will be able to accept however many students they believe they can cope with. But smaller universities are already fearful of the effects of the new open enrolment scheme with the bigger metropolitan institutions taking an even larger share of talented school leavers and receiving federal grants for each while their smaller cousin’s face falling enrolments. They also expect declining revenues from foreign fees with student numbers from China and India particularly falling rapidly. Last year, a decline in the number of foreign students occurred for the first time after rising by 11% a year for the previous eight years. Responding to mounting university concern, the government announced it would set up a review to investigate ways of countering the ongoing decline.

Education Minister Chris Evans said the Australian international education sector has come under increasing pressure because of the rising value of the Australian dollar, the ongoing impact of the global financial crisis in some countries and growing competition from the US, New Zealand and Canada for international students. But observers believe the main factor was the government's decision early last year to tighten the rules that allowed students completing courses here to gain permanent residency by eliminating many of the courses that enabled students to apply for residency and to emphasize English language competency among the skills applicants needed.

A startling 150,000 students are said to have applied for permanent residency but face rejection as a result of the tighter immigration rules. The Australian newspaper last week revealed the Department of Immigration had warned that many of students felt aggrieved and had started to mobilize. Students protested in Sydney in June and more protests could follow as students were forced to return home when special temporary visas began expiring from next August.

Under amendments to its skilled migration programme, the government decided to give priority to employer-sponsored applicants and more than halved the number of occupations said to be in demand. The government said at the time it announced the changes that they were intended to better link immigration to labour demand whereas the previous policy had encouraged the proliferation of "dodgy" colleges selling courses largely for migration rather than education.

Although the government provides students with an 18-month temporary visa to allow them time to get work experience and secure sponsorship, for many students it was "an 18-month road to a dead end". Meantime, vice-chancellors are still waiting to see a draft of legislation to establish a new education regulator, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency. TEQSA, as it is already known, is planned to begin as a quality assurance agency from 1 July and as a full regulator of post-secondary education institutions from 1 January next year.

News Presented by Rakesh Menon. Study Abroad Specialist - 13.01.11

NZ- Onshore Student Visa Processing

Immigration New Zealand is making changes to help international students who are already in NZ get their student visas processed more quickly.
From 7 February 2011, students whose visas are expiring, and are still waiting for their new visa applications to be processed, will be issued with an "interim visa" so that they can begin or continue their studies while they are waiting. Also, the rules for police and medical checks are being modified so that students will only have to renew these every three years (instead of every two years) which will save time and money for long term international students. Immigration New Zealand is planning to allow more education providers to use online visa applications. These applications are usually processed within 48 hours. Whichever method is used for applications, it is very important for students to ensure that the application is complete and they have included all documentation needed. The main reason for delays in visa processing is that the application is incomplete.

Important Changes to Tiers 4 for entry to UK

Summary for our Partners recruiting Students for UK institutions

• Students will be admitted only to degree level and above
  
• Highly Trusted sponsors will have some flexibility to offer courses below degree level
  
• Higher levels of English language competence will be required
  
• Students wishing to extend studies will have to show evidence of progression
  
• Students’ entitlement to work and sponsor dependants will be limited

• For adult students, focusing Tier 4 on higher-level courses and those offered by Highly Trusted sponsors. Students will be admitted for degree level study with some flexibility for Highly Trusted sponsors to offer courses below degree level;
  
• Introducing tougher entry criteria such as English language competence;
  
• Ensuring that students wishing to extend their studies show evidence of academic progression;
  
• Limiting the student's entitlements to work and sponsor dependants; and
  
• Improving the accreditation process for education providers, alongside more rigorous inspections
  
  Regards,
  
  ArrayGlobe.com
  
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  AUSTRALIA: 30,000 Indian students leave Australia

  Source: MSN Education
  

  A spate of attacks, tough visa norms and denial of permanent residency have caused around 30,000 Indian students, mostly based in Melbourne, to leave Australia in the past year, claims the Federation of Indian Students in Australia (FISA).It appears Australia is no more a favorite destination for Indian students with this huge exodus in a year's time. Other significant factors include that there are no jobs and students can't survive without that. Denying permanent residency to many Indians despite fulfillment of conditions has also been a reason. There has been a spate of attacks on Indian students in Australia since last year.
  
  Even though strengthening of the Australian dollar is welcome for Indians who live there permanently, for students coming from India it has become very expensive, and two years ago, one Australian dollar fetched Rs.30 and yesterday it was around Rs.44. The average fee for a two-year study in Australia currently stands at Aus$36,000 and just look at the difference in the past two years that the Indian student has to bear.
  
  News Presented by Poornima Marri. Study Abroad Specialist - 29.11.10

  
  Regards,
  
  ArrayGlobe.com
  
  Top
  

  FRANCE: Smallest University created.

  Source: University World News
  

  France has established its 85th university – and its smallest - in the southern town of Nîmes.
  
  Known as Unimes, the institution has been upgraded from its previous status as a university centre of training and research. It is the country’s first new university since 1995 and, with only 3700 students is dwarfed by the more than 50,000 who attend the three universities in Montpellier, 50 kilometers away.
  
  Creation of Unimes goes against a trend in France of universities merging into bigger establishments to increase international visibility and develop research. The little institution will be a member of a future centre of research and higher education bringing together other institutions in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.
  
  News Presented by Rakesh Menon. Study Abroad Specialist - 24.11.10

  
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  GRE format changes from 2011.

  Source: Education News Live
  

  The Graduate Record Exam (GRE), a test taken by 600,000 students across the world each year, will look significantly different in 2011. The Educational Testing Service, which administers the exam, announced its plans to revamp the GRE. on Dec. 4, calling the changes the “largest revisions” in the test’s history.
  
  ETS spokesman Tom Ewing said changes have been a “long time coming.” ETS first announced changes in 2006, but delayed making them until 2007 to add more Internet-based test centers. In 2007, it canceled the planned changes. The new test will include a new grading scale and an increased emphasis on reasoning and critical thinking skills, while focusing less on analogy and vocabulary sections.
  
  Changes to the computer systems the test is administered through will allow students to skip questions and come back later to complete them before finishing the section. Previously, students could not go back to answer questions they skipped. The most significant change, Ewing said, will be in the types of prompts.
  
  “The questions asked will be more focused and require thoughtful responses rather than strictly memorization,” he said. Ewing said exam changes will benefit future test takers.
  
  News Presented by Vinitha Rajashekhar. Study Abroad Specialist - 12.11.10

  
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  Ireland - New Immigration Regime for Full Time non-EEA Students.

  Source: Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service
  

  The Final Report and Recommendations of the Interdepartmental Committee to oversee reform of the non-EEA student immigration regime was published on 22 September 2010. The Report entitled 'New Immigration Regime for Full Time non-EEA Students' contains more than 20 recommendations designed to reform the student immigration regime in a manner that is better integrated with Ireland's immigration policy generally while providing a stronger regulatory framework for the sustainable development of the international education sector. A number of the recommendations contained in the Report will now come into effect from 1 January 2011. These recommendations include the introduction of maximum periods of residence in the State on foot of student permission and the introduction of a differentiated approach as between "Degree Programme" courses and those at the "Language or Non Degree Programme" level.
  
  News Presented by Rakesh Menon. Study Abroad Specialist - 09.11.10

  
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  Ireland - Strategy aims to attract more foreign students.

  Source: Irish Times
  

  The Irish Government has announced a new strategy aimed at increasing international student numbers in higher education by 50 per cent and in English-language schools throughout the State by 25 per cent by 2015. The five-year blueprint entitled “Investing in Global Relationships” envisages that the international education sector will be worth €1.2 billion per year to the Irish economy by 2015. It is currently worth an estimated €900 million annually. As part of the strategy, the Government has also launched a new immigration regime for international students, reforming entry requirements but imposing safeguards to prevent abuse of the system.
  
  The high-level group that developed the strategy was established last year and comprises senior representatives from the universities, institutes of technology, private higher education colleges and English-language schools, as well as from the relevant Government departments and State agencies. The Government directed the high-level group to produce a strategy for Ireland’s enhanced performance in the area of international education. The strategy was developed in tandem with a review of student immigration. A statutory code of practice and a quality mark, to be awarded to educational institutions that meet certain criteria, “will provide the basis for quality assurance of education and related services provided to international students”.
  
  Specific categories of international student “who are likely to become the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs and decision makers” will be targeted and educational programme offerings will be “tailored to their needs and interests”. The potential for mutually beneficial North-South collaboration in the area of international education will be explored. At present there are 17,000 fulltime students who had come from abroad, or about 10 per cent of the total full-time student population and the aim is to increase that to 25,500 by 2015.
  
  News Presented by Rakesh Menon. Study Abroad Specialist - 09.11.10

  
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  CANADA: Unmotivated students seem to take more jobs.

  Source: University World News
  

  Financial aid is an important factor in keeping students in university, but attitude may be just as important, according to a recent study that looked at 10,000 low-income first-year students who were receiving government student aid. The research showed that while grades suffer when students spend potential study hours doing paid work, the attitude of the student seems also to play a factor, low motivation at the outset of their studies tend to work more and study less, resulting in lower grades. Motivated or not, 42% of all first-year student respondents said they would quit school entirely if government aid was not available to them. Half of them would take more loans if they were available.
  
  Additionally, the study found that first-year university students who spend more hours per week working will spend fewer hours studying, and those receiving lower levels of government aid are more likely to work more hours. But earning lower grades is not a direct consequence of receiving less financial aid and working more paid hours. At the same time, that correlation could be pointing to a problem that should be addressed with policy. Finnie notes that low grades are probably a combination of lack of motivation and problems with financial aid forcing students to work more paid hours. Additionally, students who are not doing well in school or who are more likely to leave post-secondary education for other reasons may take on relatively more work hours in response.
  
  News Presented by Poornima Marri. Study Abroad Specialist - 09.11.10

  
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  Finland top for affordability, accessibility.

  Source: University World News
  

  Finland has both the most affordable and accessible system of higher education, according to a study of 17 countries undertaken by Canadian research group Higher Education Strategy Associates (HESA). Norway is a close runner-up. The country rankings were derived from a composite of six different measures of affordability and four measures of accessibility, in the study by Alex Usher and Jon Medow titled Global Higher Education Rankings 2010: Affordability and accessibility in comparative perspective. The countries surveyed were Australia, Canada, Denmark, England and Wales, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Latvia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and the United States. The most 'affordable' higher education was to be found exclusively in Europe: Finland was the most affordable, followed by Norway, Germany, Denmark and Sweden. English-speaking countries fared less well: Canada, New Zealand, England and Wales, the United States and Australia were ranked 9th to 13th, respectively. The nations with the most 'accessible' higher education were Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, the US and Australia. HESA's Alex Usher described Finland's results as "very good" across the board. "They have reasonable education costs, a strong and generous system of both loans and grants, high participation rates and an egalitarian student intake. From a student perspective, there is a lot to like there," he said. Finland and Norway performed well in both affordability and accessibility, but results for the countries demonstrate that 'affordability' and 'accessibility' are not always related concepts.
  
  News Presented by Rakesh Menon. Study Abroad Specialist - 03.11.10

  
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  AUSTRALIA: Free tuition to lure foreign postgraduates.

  Source: University World News
  

  Australian universities are offering free tuition to attract hundreds of masters, PhD and post-doctoral students from other countries. The nation's booming resources industries are luring local engineering and science graduates with salaries of up to $100,000 (US$88,000) a year compared with the usual $20,000 as a postgraduate on a research scholarship.
  
  With declining numbers of local students prepared to undertake postgraduate research degrees, universities in the resource-rich states of Queensland and Western Australia are recruiting students from around the world with offers of scholarships and free tuition. The school of engineering at the University of Queensland has attracted more than 30 foreign students by waiving fees worth $30,000 a year.
  
  Overseas postgraduates are also being drawn to the University of Western Australia, which introduced a fee-waiver programme two years ago. Initially, 40 scholarships were available to foreign PhD students and this has been boosted by another 50 places a year specifically aimed at attracting students from China.
  
  But the big eastern state institutions are also in the market for foreign postgraduates. The University of Sydney offers 30 international research scholarships every year to outstanding foreign students that cover tuition fees plus an annual stipend of some $20,000 for up to two years for master by research candidates or up to three years for PhD students.
  
  The University of Melbourne offers 150 international fee remission scholarships each year to students undertaking a research higher degree course, with each faculty having a limited number to award. A further 38 new endeavor international postgraduate research scholarships are also available to students undertaking research higher degrees.
  
  These, however, are funded by the Australian government and cover full tuition for each year of the course and the annual overseas student health cover. Students awarded a scholarship by the university also receive free tuition, a living allowance, thesis allowance and other benefits.
  
  News Presented by Poornima Marri. Study Abroad Specialist - 26.10.10

  
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  Risk of shortage of Nuclear Engineers.

  Source: University World News
  

  The world is facing a shortage of nuclear specialists because of a lack of training programmes and students to replace those about to retire. Soon a generation of nuclear engineers and scientists will retire. There are very few graduate training programmes left in the world today...not enough to produce those nuclear specialists needed to keep the almost 500 nuclear reactors running. Attention should, however, be given to the global shortage of nuclear engineers, since those scarce study programmes that exist are not attracting a sufficient number of students. When nuclear power plants are on the increase and the [call for] substitution of those already working is becoming ever more present, the need for specialists is very strong.
  
  News Presented by Vinitha Rajashekhar. Study Abroad Specialist - 19.10.10

  
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  Study: Students learning abroad increase drinking.

  Source: Yahoo News
  

  According to a recent researcher, students start consuming way too much alcohol when they go abroad to study for even short period of time as compared to their peers staying on home campus. While commenting on the study findings, study co-author Mary Lairmer, director of the Center for the Study of Health & Risk Behaviors in U.S., said in a press release: "The study abroad experience presents both unique opportunities and unique risks for students. Working with these students pre-departure is a terrific opportunity to help reduce their risks for drinking consequences while abroad, and may also help prevent difficulties when they return home." Eric Pedersen, co-study author and a graduate student in psychology at the University of Washington said, "Our data generally shows that students drink moderately while abroad, but a subset of students drink more heavily and may begin to experience consequences abroad." The study’s details To come to this conclusion, study researchers surveyed around 177 students from the Washington University about their drinking habits before and after their terms in an educational exchange program. Researchers found that on their study abroad stint for 3 to 5 months, students ended up drinking at an average of eight drinks per week, which double the amount they consumed while studying at home. Apparently, students engaged in drinking more when they went to countries such as Australia, New Zealand, and Europe as compared to their counterparts, who went to Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, or Africa. Majority of students’ binge drinking habits returned to normal once they returned home, though the heaviest drinkers aboard continued with their heavy drinking habit back in the U.S. Reasons for wild drinking spree Study researchers revealed that there are quite a few reasons that contribute in the increased drinking habits of students while they are studying abroad. Pedersen said, "Students have misperceptions about drinking in different countries.” Such as they may believe, "Germans drink all the time and that's what I'm going to do too." Researchers also noted that students below the age of 21, legal drinking age in US, took full advantage of lax drinking laws while studying abroad. Their drinking behavior tripled once they reached abroad as compared to those who were already of legal drinking age when they left U.S. for other country. Additionally, being away from home on an exchange program might give then a “spring break type view of atmosphere around” further fueling their drinking. The study results appeared recently in the journal “Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.”
  
  News Presented By Poornima Marri. (Study Abroad Specialist) - 18.10.10

  
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