Students from 29 countries will soon be able to apply for education visas with fewer restrictions after the federal government moved to implement a number of changes.
These alterations to migration requirements comes after the Department of Immigration and Citizenship's (DIAC) 2011 report into student visa assessment level settings.
The DIAC was able to recommend a range of alterations to existing assessment levels to make it easier for individuals to travel to Australia for educational purposes.
While the department suggested that some of the protocols in place could be made more restrictive to reflect changes in compliance statistics, the minister for immigration Chris Bowen said that the government planned on giving notice to the countries concerned, while relaxing other measures.
Bowen explained: "While it was recommended that some assessment levels be increased, I have decided to only implement the reductions in order to best support Australia's international education sector.
"Lowering the minimum evidentiary requirement for the grant of a student visa for selected countries and visa subclasses is expected to help around 10,500 prospective students."
The minister went on to explain that the changes would be of particular benefit to sector of the education industry that dealt in postgraduate research, vocational training and intensive English courses for international students.
"The reduction in assessment levels builds on the measures implemented as a result of the Strategic Review of the Student Visa Program, undertaken by the Hon Michael Knight AO, to ensure Australia remains an attractive study option for overseas students," said Bowen.
While the reductions in assessment level requirements will be altered from March 24, international students can still benefit from the assistance of an immigration lawyer in preparing their application.
The changes have been welcomed by the chief executive of Universities Australia, Belinda Robinson, who said that it would help to strengthen the education industry across the country.
Robinson explained: "It really is a terrific outcome not just for the higher education sector but for the Australian economy more broadly because at a time we’re seeing manufacturing struggling, tourism struggling, both primarily because of the strong Australian dollar, it’s really important for those industries that are strong to be able to step up to offset some of those economic implications.
"The international education sector is Australia's third largest export industry, and over the 2010-11 period international higher education students spent an average of $38,000 each in this country on goods, services and fees."