In May this year, a parliamentary inquiry uncovered private vocational education and training providers working with unregulated education agents to lure students from prestigious universities for commissions, promote work visas, and create “ghost colleges” awarding degrees without actual attendance.
Data reveals a concerning trend of visa applications tied to vocational colleges facing rejection when submitted from overseas, yet receiving approval if the student is already in Australia, has brought to light a concerning loophole.
Australian immigration experts warn that this loophole jeopardizes the reputation of the international education sector, which is valued at AUD40 billion ($25.76 billion).
India exhibits the most notable offshore application rejection rate, standing significantly at 93.8 percent. Yet, when Indians apply for the same visa from within the country, their approval rate is considerably higher, at 97 percent, as indicated by government data.
Likewise, citizens of Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan who are already residing in Australia experience comparably elevated approval rates. In contrast, visa approval rates from their respective home countries remain below one in five.
In general, the approval rates for vocational education applications from all nations hover around 50 percent.
Experts point out that this situation mirrors a pattern observed in the mid-to-late 2000s, when a substantial number of individuals enrolled in questionable vocational colleges as a pathway to secure permanent migration.
“The college bottom feeder syndrome is threatening the reputation of the sector,” said Phil Honeywood, executive director of the International Education Association of Australia.
In May this year, a parliamentary inquiry uncovered private vocational education and training providers working with unregulated education agents to lure students from prestigious universities for commissions, promote work visas, and create “ghost colleges” awarding degrees without actual attendance.
Monty Singh, chief international officer at Victoria University, asserts that the system is defective, thereby jeopardizing the standing of reputable providers and agents.
Both higher education and vocational education regulators have issued warnings to providers regarding vigilant monitoring of “collusion, opportunistic or misleading behaviors by some providers.”
Universities are growing exasperated by the government’s inaction in addressing the open avenues enabling these practices.
Singh emphasized that universities collectively invest substantial sums, amounting to millions of dollars, in overseas student recruitment.
“It takes a lot of energy and a lot of resources in going to India and China and developing recruitment channels, providing services and advice, and maintaining your interests in that particular jurisdiction,” he said.
Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia, the representative body for independent providers in the education sector, urges changes that would better assist international students in completing their studies.
