Swati Soni, a partner at immigration consultancy Galaxy Consultancy, was arrested after a raid by authorities in the state of Gujarat, according to local media. Soni was also a minority partner in the franchisee of KC Overseas Anand branch in Gujarat. KC Overseas has terminated its contract with the operators of the franchise. A man accused of providing the marksheets was arrested alongside Soni. A police officer told reporters the transcripts were being used to help customers acquire UK visas.  Representatives from KC Overseas said they had checked the academic documents of all students who had applied to partner institutions…

International students studying online from abroad who submitted a study permit application no later than the end of August last year are getting an extra four months to qualify for a Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP). That allowance, first made in mid-August last year, was to expire on Aug. 31 this year but Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is extending it through to Dec. 31, 2023. “Given the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on international students and the post-secondary sector, temporary policy changes were made to the eligibility requirements for post-graduation work permits for … students enrolled in PGWP-eligible programs in progress…

Internationals students from India are now paying more to Ontario colleges than the provincial government, according to a new report.The amount that students from India pay into Ontario’s college system has been growing for years, but 2023-24 was the first year that it topped government dollars, an author of the report said.While domestic students’ tuition has often been reduced or frozen, international student fees have been steadily increasing. This new status quo leaves colleges far more reliant on tuition from international students to cover their annual operating budgets, said Alex Usher, co-author of the report “The State of Post-secondary Education…

In response to increasing student visa fraud, the Government is rolling out measures to stamp it out, writes Dr Abul Rizvi. LAST WEEK, the Government announced a range of measures to address rorting in the student visa system. This was not surprising given reports on student visa rorting, including in the unreleased Nixon Review, had become deafening. Last year, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) made public warnings about the level of fraud it was seeing in student visa applications. As a result, there was a major increase in offshore student visa refusal rates, particularly for students from the sub-continent enrolled…

Want to help shape the direction of IEAA? Looking for a chance to give back to the community and enhance your profile? Now is the time to get your nominations in for IEAA’s next group of Board members and Network conveners. As a member-led organisation, IEAA thrives on the passion, knowledge and commitment of each of our volunteers. At this crucial time for international education in Australia, our community requires strong, visionary leadership. We are now seeking nominations for the following positions, each for a two-year term starting in October 2023: Board Treasurer 3 x Ordinary Board Members  Network Leadership 6 x…

In November 2022, Australia’s two main tertiary education regulators – the Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency (TEQSA), and the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) – each issued a “sector alert” reminding all higher education providers of their obligations when using education agents. Why two alerts from two regulators? TEQSA is Australia’s national quality assurance and regulatory agency for higher education, while ASQA is the national regulator for Australia’s vocational education and training sector. In 2023, both regulators have maintained their focus on education agents and the requirements imposed under the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 and associated legislative framework…

Concurrent Studies update for peak bodies and providers  – 26/08/2023The department has removed the concurrent study functionality from the Provider Registration and International Student Management System (PRISMS). The concurrent study function in PRISMS that allowed students to hold concurrent enrolments has been identified as an avenue to avoid transfer restrictions under the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Providers 2018 (National Code). Standard 7 of the National Code restricts student transfers in the first 6 months of their primary course of study. This provision protects the interests of both providers and students. Providers will not be…

Amid a raging debate over how to manage Canada’s international student sector, some say the federal government should adopt a different kind of system for granting visas to foreign students — one that could reset expectations and help weed out “bad actors.” And such a system, advocates say, has already been proposed. For years, critics have been calling for reforms to this country’s fast-growing international education program. Thousands of international students are lured to Canada each year, many by the prospect of gaining permanent residence as a result of getting a Canadian education and ensuing work permit. This week, facing…

Canada’s universities are protesting against a Trudeau administration suggestion that the country might need to limit the number of international students allowed into the country as a way of handling extreme housing shortages. In a high-level retreat from Canada’s longstanding embrace of a strategy of hosting large numbers of foreign college students, the nation’s new housing minister, Sean Fraser, said dire housing shortfalls might force a student visa cap. “That is one of the options that we ought to consider,” Mr Fraser – Canada’s immigration minister until last month – was reported as saying at a Trudeau Cabinet meeting this week. Canada is one of the…