Students 'shouldn't expect residency'
The Austraian
From: AAP
February 08, 2010 6:47PM
INTERNATIONAL students should not expect to automatically become permanent residents, Immigration Minister Chris Evans says.
The minister has also taken aim at private colleges for creating the impression that by studying in Australia, students could stay indefinitely.
The government announced reforms to the skilled migration program so it would be driven by employer demand.
“There's still a pathway for students but they have to have the skills we need, they have got to have good English language skills and they have to sit, effectively, a trade test,” Senator Evans told Sky News.
“If you can get a job and employers are prepared to sponsor you, then clearly you're of value and you'll fit in and you'll make successful migration.”
Senator Evans took aim at private colleges, saying they had created an expectation among students of permanent residency.
“There's no doubt that the growth in the market was driven, in part, by the demand for access to our labour market and permanent residency here,” he said.
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