Figures released this week by the Australian Department of Immigration confirm a dramatic surge in the number of Greek nationals successfully applying for student visas to study in Australia.
In 2010-11, only 102 Greeks were awarded student visas (64 male and 38 female) but in 2011-12 this figure shot up to 587 (407 male and 180 female); an increase of nearly 500 per cent.
The data, published in Australia’s Migration Trends 2011-12 report, confirms that young people faced with meagre job opportunities in Greece are increasingly looking to improve their prospects in Australia.
Dr Bob Birrell of the Centre for Population and Urban Research told Neos Kosmos that the influx – whilst largely due to desperate labour market conditions in Greece – was also a result of recent reforms made to the rules applying to student visas.
“The student visa reforms have eased up the situation, in the sense that the rules governing bona fides have been loosened,” says Dr Birrell.
“The Australian government has left it up to universities to make the decisions, and those who are successful in getting a student visa are granted, as of right, two years in our labour market once they’ve graduated.
“It doesn’t matter what the course is, it could be Greek History. The rule used to be that you had to have a credential related to an occupation that was in short supply, but that’s been removed.
“So any degree given provides access to employment, that’s the big change.”
Dr Birrell says that whilst the government’s reforms make it harder for overseas students to gain permanent residence, every temporary entry program offered by Australia was being influenced by the traction of the Australian labour market.
“There’s a very significant surge for instance in working holiday visa numbers from places like Ireland and Taiwan.
“As the labour market softens, I think there should be tougher rules to ensure that employers who sponsor skilled migrants do a proper local labour market test,” says the Monash University analyst, who applauds the government’s recent moves to tighten the 457 visa program.
“There’s an equally strong case to tighten up on the Working Holiday Visa Program, because today it’s being used fundamentally as a work program,” says Birrell.
“Working holiday visa holders are crowding into the entry-level labour market in Australia and are making it even tougher for locals to get work. They’re just letting that run without paying any attention to it.”
Roula Tsiolas, Managing Director of the Australian Industrial Systems Institute (AISI) – one of Melbourne’s leading registered training organisations for overseas students – told Neos Kosmos that the increase in student visas to Greek nationals reflected the AISI’s own experience, with enrolments up by 75 per cent.
Ms Tsiolas said that whilst presenting at overseas study seminars in Greece last month she noticed that demand for Australian qualifications was higher than ever.
“It’s an indication that student visa applications will increase even further in the future.”
The AISI’s chief added that many of those she had met were set on gaining Australian qualifications to increase their chances of being employed by multinational companies – who they anticipate will invest in Greece in the future.
“They see the potential for being employed by these companies, should they possess foreign qualifications and work experience abroad,” says Ms Tsiolas.
While the number of student visas offered to Greeks have increased exponentially, the Department of Immigration’s latest statistics show that the number of permanent residency visas awarded to Greek nationals in 2011-12 actually decreased from 2010-11.
Between July 2011 and June 2012, 134 Greek citizens, (82 male and 52 female) were awarded permanent residency visas, but in the previous year, 325 Greeks (204 male and 121 female) were given the right to live in Australia permanently.
The downward turn may be a result of tighter rules in relation to permanent visas.
Visitor visas awarded to Greek nationals increased by almost 14 per cent in 2011-12 from 2010-11; up to 7938 from 6977.
440 Greeks holding temporary visas – who overstayed their visa – were deemed ‘unlawful non-citizens’ in Australia at 30 June 2012.
Overstayers from China topped the league of ‘unlawfuls’ with 7800 in breach of their visa conditions. More than 5000 US nationals were also designated as unlawful citizens in Australia for the same reason.
In 2011-2012, 67 Greek citizens had their visas cancelled. 2781 British nationals also had their visas cancelled in the same period.