Australia woos students with a slew of offers
The Hindu
Work, post-study work relaxations are some of the offers
Australia is beckoning Indian students, who presently form the second largest group among international students, with a slew of offers including visa fee waiver and removal of maximum eligible work hours, apart from increasing the post-study work visa to three years.
After shutting down its borders to contain COVID spread for almost two years, the Australian government wants international students to return and it expects the numbers from India to rise. Those arriving in Australia before March 19 this year will get their visa fee of 630 Australian Dollars waived off, said Monica Kennedy, Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner of Austrade in Mumbai.
Speaking to The Hindu, she said visa fee would be refunded for all international students arriving on Australian shores before March 19, while those coming to pursue Masters programmes in the Metropolitan areas, the post-study work visa is being enhanced from the present two years to three years. In non-metropolitan cities, it ranges from three to four years. She said already there is a surge in international students reaching Australia and the number is likely to go further higher with the new measures announced by the Australian Prime Minister Scot Morrison. As of now, about 1.50 lakh international students posses an Australian visa.
