November 2009
Student Visa Living Costs and Evidence of Funds
The Migration Regulations require international students to show evidence of funds to contribute to the cost of living and studying in Australia. This helps to ensure students are better able to make the most of their studies and have a safe and enjoyable experience in Australia.
While international students are able to supplement their income with money earned through part-time work in Australia, the ‘living costs’ requirement helps to support the success of students in their studies by ensuring that they do not to rely on such work to meet all their expenses.
Legislation changes are being pursued to increase the basic rate of living costs under the Migration Regulations from the previous rate of $12 000 per year. Subject to approval by Parliament and the Governor-General, it is proposed that these changes will come into effect from 1 January 2010. Under the proposed new regulations, prospective Student visa applicants and their family members must have access to the following funds to meet the living costs requirements:
•$18 000 per year for the main student
•$6300 per year for the student’s partner
•$3600 per year for the student’s first child
•$2700 per year for every other child; and where required
•demonstrate that the funds they are relying upon to meet the costs of studying in Australia will be genuinely available to them during their stay in Australia.
What must students do to show that the funds are genuinely available?
Also under the changes proposed for 1 January 2010, officers of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) assessing Student visa applications will have the discretion to consider a Student visa applicant’s circumstances to determine if the student genuinely holds the funds to which they claim to have access. This includes checking:
•a prospective student’s previous financial and immigration history
•the employment history of the student or the person providing the student with financial support
•the source of the income used (for example, cash assets or a bank loan).
Where there is doubt about the student’s ability to access their claimed funds in Australia, the prospective student may be requested to provide further information in support of their application. For example, students relying upon a bank loan may need to show that these funds have been deposited into a bank account to which they have unrestricted access, and that they have the financial capacity to service the loan both before they depart for Australia and once they arrive.
Why does the Government propose to increase the living costs?
The living cost requirement of $12 000 per year was first introduced in 2001. While this amount was an immigration integrity measure and was not intended to be indicative of the real cost of living in Australia, concerns have been expressed that this figure did not adequately prepare students for the realities of moving to Australia to study. By increasing the living costs requirement students will be better prepared to live and study in Australia.
The support that is currently available in Australia to domestic students and estimates made by Australian Education International (AEI), suggest $18 000 per year more accurately reflects the real costs of living in Australia. However, international students are encouraged to undertake their own research into the cost of living in Australia, taking into consideration their own circumstances before making a decision on whether to study in Australia. Prospective students should refer to the AEI ‘Study in Australia’ website for more information on the cost of living in Australia. See: http://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au

    澳大利亞留學專家分析，以前擔保金只要每年12000澳元，而且是2001年規定的，表面上移民局說是通貨膨脹指數計算在內，應該調整了，實際上的背景是鑒于去年很多來自印度、巴西、毛里求斯等地的留學生因為打工太多原因，移民局發現大量的印度留學生在澳洲留學是完全依靠打工來賺生活費和學費，實際上其國內的家庭收入無法負擔澳洲的生活費和學費，所以為了減少這些沒實際留學能力的學生來鉆空子，移民部修改了相關條款。
    那么對我們中國學生影響有多大呢？留學專家認為影響主要有2個方面：
    1.留學簽證的影響：對簽證影響肯定是有的，因為擔保金提高了，家長要調配額外的資金來做擔保金。主要對于選擇TAFE專業家庭收入不高的中國家庭。不過鑒于中國留學生70%以上是攻讀高中、本科和碩士的，所以影響是比較有限的。畢竟出國留學大部分家庭的存款和收入都是比較高的，而且簽證下來后，這個存在國內銀行的擔保金就可以隨時動用了。
    2. 實際留學費用的影響： 基本上沒影響。而實際的生活中，大部分“普通留學生”的消費不到18000澳元每年的，大部分學生消費是在12000澳元左右，而且按照本科碩士上課期間36周每周20小時打工，休假期間16周每周40小時，每小時10澳元計算，是可以打工賺到這個生活費的。
    要特別指出，說擔保金的提高，對于2010年初辦理的簽證的留學生來說，包括在澳洲續簽，就要格外小心了，很多人是采用半年存款模式的，所以到時候必然出現擔保金不夠的現象。留學專家建議大家趕快和專業顧問聯系，重新核算擔保金，然后對于額外增加部分，采用留學貸款的方法，就可以有效規避拒簽風險。
    另外，移民局對擔保人的時間工作、資金來源、留學貸款將進行更嚴格的檢查，希望廣大留學生朋友做好相關的準備，因為如果移民局要調查，中間往往會出現很多誤解而導致拒簽，如一個電話沒回答好，一個文件前后有矛盾等。在本次政策修改中，移民局特別提到了對留學貸款的使用要求，要求辦理簽證期間貸款的錢不可以被凍結，需要可以隨時動用。

    總之，澳大利亞由于留學生不斷增加，已經開始提升要求，對于數量已經不再重視，更加看重留學生的質量，留學生和家長們無需擔心，只要及時更新留學知識，尋找真正的留學移民專家就可以順利拿到心儀的簽證。