2. To Screen
or Not to Screen?
Successful Recruitment of Genuine Students

3. PAGE 3
STUDENT VISA FRAMEWORK
TIMELINE
Pre 2012
Assessment Level Framework
2012 – June 2016
Streamlined Visa Processing
July 2016 - now
Simplified Student Visa Framework

4. Streamlined Student Visa
Framework
Combined country and provider
immigration risk model

5. PAGE 5
COMBINED COUNTRY AND INSTITUTION
RISK MODEL
Simplified Student Visa
Framework
Country Immigration Risk Level
1 2 3
Education
Provider
Immigration Risk
Level
1 Streamlined Streamlined Streamlined
2 Streamlined Streamlined Regular
3 Streamlined Regular Regular

6. PAGE 6
STREAMLINED APPLICATIONS
Requirements:
• Confirmation of Enrolment
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) – health insurance.
Further documents may be requested:
• financial documents
• proof of English language ability
• documents to prove that applicant will stay in Australia temporarily
• medical report.
Immigration has the discretion to ask for further documents

7. PAGE 7
REGULAR APPLICATIONS
Requirements:
• Confirmation of Enrolment
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) – health insurance
• financial documents
• proof of English language ability
• documents to prove that applicant will stay in Australia temporarily
• medical report.
Immigration has NO legal obligation to ask for further documents

8. STREAMLINED APPLICATIONS
Immigration has the discretion to ask for further documents
REGULAR APPLICATIONS
Immigration has NO legal obligation to ask for further documents
What does this mean?

9. PAGE 9
GTE – Ministerial Direction 69
How Immigration assesses a Student Visa
application
• The applicant’s circumstances in their home country
• The applicant’s potential circumstances in Australia
• The applicant’s immigration history (including immigration history
of visa holders from applicant’s country of citizenship)
• The value of the program to the applicant’s future

10. PAGE 10
GTE vs PERMANENT
RESIDENCY
:: The GTE requirement provides a useful way to help identify those
applicants who are using the student visa programme for motives
other than gaining a quality education.
The GTE requirement is not designed to exclude those students
who, after studying in Australia, go on to develop the skills required
by the Australian labour market and apply to obtain permanent
residency::

11. PAGE 11
FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS
KEY CONCEPT
All student visa applicants must have genuine access to sufficient funds to
cover costs and expenses for themselves and any accompanying family
applicants for the duration of the intended stay in Australia.
• Annual cost of living $19,830 for a student
• Evidence of funds to cover travels, 12 months living, course fees and
schooling costs for student and accompanying family members

12. PAGE 12
2 WAYS of MEETING FINANCIAL REQS
1. Evidence that their spouse or parents have a specified annual income
(formal government official documents such as tax assessments e.g. ITRs and
all documentation should be genuine and submitted through the Tax Office)
The annual income option requires evidence of personal annual income
of at least AUD 60,000. For students accompanied by family members,
the requirement is at least AUD 70,000;
or
2. Evidence of sufficient funds to cover travel costs, and the first 12 months’
living costs and tuition costs for themselves and each family applicant; and
meeting genuine access to fund requirements.

13. PAGE 13
GENUINE ACCESS
REQUIREMENTS
• Funds must be genuinely available to support students while in Australia.
Funds can be attributed to the student/sponsor and that they have
access to the funds
• Lump sum deposits must be explained. Where is the money coming
from, how can we assess the financial capacity of the individual based
on the source
• Current policy does not stipulate that sponsor must be related to the
applicant, however DIBP will question why are they sponsoring and how
and can they afford it

14. PAGE 14
GENUINE ACCESS
REQUIREMENTS
What DIBP considers:
• The employment history of the applicant/person providing the funds.
• The income and assets of the applicant/person providing the funds.
• The source of the income used to meet the financial requirements (for
example, if the applicant is relying upon funds from a third party ; and the
nature of the relationship between the applicant and the person providing
the funds.
• If the person providing the source of income has provided financial
support for another student visa applicant.

15. PAGE 15
GENUINE ACCESS
REQUIREMENTS
What DIBP considers:
• The immigration activities in Australia of other nationals from the
applicant’s home country are such that further investigation into the
genuine intentions of the student should be undertaken.
• Relevant intelligence and analysis reports on illegal immigration and
malpractice (if relevant to the individual’s circumstances).

16. PAGE 16
GENUINE ACCESS
REQUIREMENTS
Loans from financial institutions
Loans should be in the name of the student or other individual providing
financial support to the student.
Visa officers may wish to seek additional information to be satisfied that the
loan is for the support of the student if:
• the loan is for a considerable amount more than required; or
• the loan was taken out a significant period before the visa application was
made; or
• the loan was provided as support for another student or

17. PAGE 17
GENUINE ACCESS
REQUIREMENTS
Loans from financial institutions
• if the loan is jointly held in another person’s name: what is the
relationship between the student and the loan holders? Will the funds be
genuinely available to the applicant in Australia.
• If a loan was against collateral: who the collateral for the loan is owned by
and that individual’s relationship to the applicant?
• If the loan was drawn down long before the application was lodged:
Where is the funds now? Are they in an account (current or savings) in
the name of the student or the sponsor or have been used to pay
expenses such as tuition fees and airfares?

18. PAGE 18
GENUINE ACCESS
REQUIREMENTS
Genuine access – Loans from financial institutions
To be satisfied the funds will be available to the applicant, Visa officers may
consider four factors:
• have the funds been disbursed and if yes, in whose account the funds
have been deposited?
• what the collateral for the loan was (property, money deposit) and who
owns that asset ?
• if the collateral was a money deposit, how the funds in the money deposit
were accumulated and for how long the deposit has been held?

19. PAGE 19
Acceptable Financial Institutions as
defined by Migration Regulation:
Financial institution is a body corporate, that, as part of its normal activities
takes money on deposit and makes advances of money;
a) under a regulatory regime:
i) governed by the central bank (or its equivalent) of the country in which
the body corporate operates; and
ii) that the Minister is satisfied provides effective prudential assurance; and
b) in a way that the Minister is satisfied complies with effective prudential
assurance requirements.

20. PAGE 20
REMEMBER:
1. Overseas education is a luxury for most people. When a lot of family
members and relatives pool their life savings to send a person to go to
Australia –they can not afford to come to Australia
2. Shame marriage. When the couple come from very different
background and only recently married, DIBP may suspect that shame
marriage takes place
3. Well travelled applicants are highly regarded by DIBP
4. Applicants who have been visa refused previously should not apply,
unless previous circumstances which caused the refusal are no longer
there
5. Assumption for unexplained lump sum = money lender derived

21. PAGE 21
TIPS
Submit GTE documents with the applications for applicants who are
keen to start ASAP – we can assess academic and GTE concurrently
and issue full offer if applicant meets both requirements

22. PAGE 22
Q&A

23. PAGE 23
MORE INFORMATION on Compliance Matters
Anna Kirkham
Manager, International Compliance and Quality Assurance
a.kirkham@westernsydney.edu.au
+612 9685 9526
Wednesdays to Fridays