Last year, I talked about the problem of brain-drain in Nepal. In recent time, one of the most preferred foreign destination for Nepali, Australia, is helping reduce brain-drain, by taking-in far less number of students. The argument, if it is helping the Nepali people in general is a matter of debate but, such a move by Australia has forced many prospective students to seek other destinations like North America and Europe.

Since February 2009, when the Australian High Commission, New Delhi issued a new visa policy on immigration the number of students going to Australia has decreased by almost 90%. The new policy is told to be more strict on ensuring the students have enough funds for their study in Australia.

When we look at the statistics:
In July 2007-June 2008 year, about 11,000 students went to Australia for higher education. The number decreased to 7,880 in the the year July 2008- June 2009. In the last year (from June 2009- December 2009) the number was a mere 1000.

In the year 2007/2008 Nepal ranked 13th in the number of foreign students in the US which was raised to 11the position in the year 2008/2009. With Australia taking-in less number of students, number of students in the US might be even more.

Procedure for applying student visa to Australia:

Students, who plan to go to Australia, first have to give IELTS examination. The minimum score for applying for a visa is 5.0 out of 9.0. However, different levels of education and the course to be undertaken have different minimum scores which must be met.

The college search comes next. The students should know which course they want to study and search for colleges according to affordability, quality of education, location, courses available etc.

After receiving an offer letter and sending the deposit to the respective college, the student now can get involved in the visa attaining process.

The student should make sure that as per the rules, their account in Nabil or SBI has the amount required for their stay in Australia for a period of two years including room, board, travel expenses, tuition fees, and personal expenses 3-6 months prior to the date of application.

After verification and an interview, if conducted, the Australian High Commission issues a pre-visa, after which the probability of getting the visa is almost 99%. The student should then make sure that everything thereafter, which may be required, reaches on time. (credits:Abhisekh Dev)