AUSTRALIA'N NEW VISA RULES AND BENEFITS FOR SRILANKN'S

Important changes to the student visa programme – from 1 July 2016

New student visa applicants

From 1 July 2016, there will be only one student visa available to study in Australia – the Student visa (subclass 500). 

After 1 July 2016, if you want to study in Australia, you will need to apply for the Student visa (subclass 500) regardless of your field of study.

To find out the documents you might need to provide with your student visa application, select your education provider from the list available at: Education providers.

For more information: 

• 
  info@achievers-int.com / 0094779568350 
• Zajaath@gmail.com    /     0094777887050

Skype : achievers-international 

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Financial capacity requirements – from 1 July 2016

The simplified student visa framework (SSVF) will come into effect on 1 July 2016.

The SSVF is designed to make the process of applying for a student visa simpler to navigate for genuine students, deliver a more targeted approach to immigration integrity and reduce red tape for business.

This factsheet summarises the key changes to financial capacity requirements under the SSVF.

Student visa evidentiary requirements

Under the SSVF, all student visa applicants must have sufficient funds available for the duration of their stay in Australia.

Students associated with the lowest immigration risk will generally have streamlined evidentiary requirements. This means these students will generally be able to satisfy us of their financial capacity by providing a declaration. We will however retain the discretion to seek further evidence where appropriate.

Students associated with higher immigration risk, based on their country and education provider immigration risk outcomes, will generally have to provide specified documentary evidence of financial capacity with their visa application.

Students and agents will be able to obtain details about the documentation and evidence that will need to be included with their student visa application by accessing a working sample of an online tool on our website from late May 2016.

The online tool will be fully functional from 1 July 2016 and accessible at any stage of the visa application process, including prior to the submission of a visa application.

Documentary evidence of financial capacity

Where additional evidence of financial capacity is required, the student will be able to demonstrate this by providing one of the following:

• evidence of funds to cover travel to Australia and 12 months’ living, course and (for school aged dependants) schooling costs  for the student and accompanying family members
• evidence of meeting the annual income requirement
• an Acceptance Advice of Secondary Exchange Students (AASES) form for secondary exchange students only.

The annual income option requires students to provide evidence of personal annual income of at least AUD 60,000. For students accompanied by family members, the amount is AUD 70,000 or more. The income demonstrated must be the personal income of the student’s spouse or parents only.  In circumstances where both the student’s parents are working, their combined income can be considered for this requirement. In all cases, the evidence of annual income must be provided in the form of official government documentation, such as a tax assessment.

The 12-month living and tuition costs option is broadly similar to the requirement that applied to Assessment Level 2 students prior to 1 July 2016. The type of evidence, where required, includes: money deposit or loan with a financial institution, government loan, scholarship or sponsorship.

Where our online client service tool indicates that documentary evidence of financial capacity is required, it is important for students to attach these documents to their visa application prior to lodgement. Failure to do so might result in visa refusal.

Living cost amounts

From 1 July 2016, the 12 month living cost will be:

• Student/guardian -  AUD 19,830
• Partner/spouse -  AUD 6,940
• Child - AUD 2,970

School aged dependants

Where school aged children are included in the student visa application, schooling costs of AUD 8,000 per year for each child will need to be added to the amount of funds that is required.

Dependent children of PhD students are not required to demonstrate evidence of schooling costs if they provide evidence of enrolment in an Australian government school with exemption of school fees.

Dependent children of Australian Commonwealth Government scholarship recipients, including children of Foreign Affairs and Defence sponsored students, are also not required to demonstrate evidence of schooling costs if they provide evidence of enrolment in a government school where the fees have been waived and the student is enrolled in a course as an Australian Government Commonwealth scholarship recipient.

Consumer Price Index (CPI) indexation

Financial amounts including annual income, living costs and schooling costs will be regularly reviewed and adjusted in line with the CPI figures for the previous calendar year.

Genuine access to funds

Students and their accompanying family members must have genuine access to funds, whether it is provided by the student themselves or another eligible person. The funds shown in the visa application must be available for use to financially support the student and any accompanying family members during their stay in Australia.    

When considering whether the funds shown will be genuinely available, we will take into account factors including:

• the nature of the relationship between the student and the person who is providing the funds, where applicable  
• income, assets and employment of the student or the other person who is providing the funds
• previous visa history of both the student and the person providing the funds.

Family members of students

From 1 July 2016, family members of existing student visa holders will need to apply for a subclass 500 visa if they do not currently hold a student visa and wish to join the student in Australia.

Generally the same level of evidentiary requirements of financial capacity applied to primary applicants (students) would apply to their family members, including subsequent dependants. 

In all circumstances, our officers have discretion to ask for further evidence of funds, if required.