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Deregulation of the student visa programme and future directions for streamlined visa processing

Regulation Impact Statement – Department of Immigration and Border Protection

On 16 June 2015, the Australian Government announced the introduction of the Simplified Student Visa Framework (SSVF) to support Australia’s education services sector. The changes under the SSVF include:

  • a reduction in the number of student visa subclasses from eight to two; and
  • the introduction of a simplified single immigration risk framework for all international students.

The regulation came into effect on 1 July 2016 and the changes are designed to make the student visa framework simpler to navigate, reduce red tape for business, deliver a more targeted approach to immigration integrity and create a level playing field for all education providers. The Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR) assessed the Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) prepared by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection as compliant with the RIS requirements and consistent with best practice. The Department estimates that the new framework is likely to reduce regulatory costs by $24.1 million per annum compared to previous arrangements. This estimate has been agreed by the OBPR.