Post-study work option Down Under
The Hindu Students of undergraduate or Masters study programmes are allowed to work for two years in Australia after the course completion, while those who finish ‘Masters by Research’ or Ph. D programmes can work for four years post-study
B i o t e c h n o l o g y, Accounting, Construction, Mining Engineering, and Highway Engineering are a few subjects the Australian universities are most popular for
Post- study work and ‘streamlined visa processing’ is what the ‘ Down Under’ is promising to Indian students, in the wake of phenomenal rise in the exchange rate of the Australian dollar.
Students of undergraduate or Masters study programmes are allowed to work for two years in Australia after the course completion, while those who finish ‘Masters by Research’ or Ph. D programmes can work for four years posts t u dy, info r med B. Nishidhar Reddy, the citybased member of the Association of Australian Education Representatives in India ( AAERI), at the Australian Education Fair 2012 held here on Friday.
The fair is the first such forum where the association, Australian government and educational institutions have come together to counsel the students, Mr.Reddy said. It had participation from 19 out of the 42 Australian universities.
“After Delhi, Andhra Pradesh is the second place where we get most students from. Yearly, about 30,000 to 40,000 Indian students arrive to pursue various studies, with most from South India opting for postgraduate c o u r s e s,” Mr. Reddy informed.
B i o t e c h n o l o g y, Accounting, Construction, Mining Engineering, and Highway Engineering are a few subjects the Australian universities are most popular for, he said.
While there has been a decrease in the number of students opting for “vocational courses”, due to the recent rise in dollar exchange rate, aspirants for the undergraduate and Masters programmes are on the rise, informed Jose Alvarez, the MinisterCounsellor (Immigration) and Regional Director (South Asia) of Australian High Commission.
With Australian dollar scaling up to more than Rs. 58 presently, study in Australia will cost the stu- dent anything between Rs.18 lakh to Rs.20 lakh, course fee and living expenses put together.
However, the students will be allowed to work for 40 hours in a fortnight during the course, and full-days during holidays, Mr. Alvarez said. Select students will be granted scholarships from government and other bodies.
As part of the streamlined visa processing, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship will assess the student visa applicants who tag their applications with a Confirmation of Enrolment from an Australian university, as ‘low migration risk’ applicants. The student has to fulfil certain requirements to be eligible for streamlined visa processing.
University of Adelaide, Deakin University, La Trobe University, Swinburne University of Technology, University of South Australia, University of Southern Queensland, University of Tasmania, and University of Western Sydney are some participants in the fair which is touring six cities in India. University representatives counselled the students, and granted spot admissions to some.-thehindu.com