Australian colleges offer discounts ahead of program deregistration — The Guardian
Private colleges in Australia are offering discounts and expedited enrollment processing for the Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning) program, whose registration the federal government plans to cancel on October 5. The government suspects that some international students used the program to extend their stay in the country, The Guardian reports.
Offers ahead of deregistration
In early September, the government announced the deregistration of the diploma program. It is taught by nearly 450 educational institutions; more than 15,000 students are currently enrolled in it. Another more than 40,000 people have registered for future enrollment after completing another vocational course.
On social media, in WhatsApp messages and SMS, education and migration agents urged students to begin studying before October 5 or bring forward their course start date. Students who are already enrolled and studying by that date will be allowed to complete the program. Some advertisements offered reduced tuition fees or free confirmations of enrollment.
One private college sent agents an offer with commission payments and same-day processing of offer letters and confirmations of enrollment. The institution also announced two special intakes — on September 21 and October 2, three days before the program's deregistration.
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Monitoring students and institutions
Phil Honeywood, executive director of the International Education Association of Australia, supported the government's decision. According to him, it is intended to stop international students whom the government considers not to have a genuine purpose of study from using the course to extend their stay in Australia.
Some students who planned to take the program after a lower-level vocational course will have to either begin studying by the set deadline or choose another higher-level program — such as a bachelor's or master's degree — to meet visa requirements. This may mean studying on two courses simultaneously.
Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Julian Hill said the department and the education regulator would closely monitor the behavior of students and education providers. According to him, unusual cases of early course commencement or new enrollments will be investigated, and action will be taken against those who break the rules.
Tightening visa rules
The program's deregistration is part of broader measures by the Australian government against transitions between visa statuses and staying after visas expire. Authorities have already barred international students from moving from a higher-level program to a lower-level course, which could allow them to remain in the country longer and work more. Agents are also prohibited from being paid commissions for transferring students between courses in Australia.
