Don’t be misguided by overseas education agents- advises Tejal Laul, Director- Kampus Landing.

Overseas education needs meticulous planning as it is a big decision not only for the student but for the parents as well. The entire family is involved and a wrong decision in selection of program or college or country may jeopardize the career of the student overall affecting the economics of the family.

Tejal Laul, Director of Kampus Landing, an agency based in Ahmedabad, India says, “There are a number of overseas education consultants in the market. Some are highly professional and offer ethical services. Most of these consultants have studied abroad themselves and have an experience of being an international student themselves.  Some overseas consultants have just come to this sector to earn fast bucks and implement all fraudulent means to misguide students. I strongly recommend that students and parents should research about the study abroad agent before hiring the services.”

Tejal Laul who herself has studied in the UK and the USA carry more than 12 years of experience in counseling and guiding students who wish to study abroad.  She has helped a lot of students re build their careers who have been cheated and misguided by dishonest agents. She runs a helpline for the students and advises them free of cost if they are in trouble whether in India or overseas.

At the end, she advises, “Beware of fraud overseas education agents.”

New open work permit launched in Canada

A new open work permit has been introduced in Canada that enables certain economic class applicants to maintain their status and continue working in the country while they wait for a final decision on their permanent residence application.  This will make the country’s immigration system faster and more flexible and cut red tape for the skilled immigrants Canada’s economy needs to grow and thrive, according to Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney.

‘The new Bridging Open Work Permit provides those who are transitioning to permanent residency with better opportunities to integrate into Canada’s labour market to the benefit of our economy and all Canadians,’ he said. The bridging work permit is available immediately and is valid for one year from the date of issuance. Qualifying foreign nationals who have submitted an application for permanent residence under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) or the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) may be considered for an open work permit. Applicants must already be in Canada on a valid work permit that is about to expire and must have received confirmation from CIC that their permanent resident application is eligible.

Previously, applicants who were awaiting a decision on their permanent residence application could find their temporary work permits expiring before their application was processed. As a result, these individuals would no longer have been authorised to work in Canada unless their employer applied for and received a Labour Market Opinion from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) and the applicant then applied for an extension of status.  Open work permits are already available for other in Canada immigration streams, such as live-in caregivers, spouses or common law partners. Kenney said that this improvement will result in consistent treatment for other applicants already in Canada.

Many Indians refused study visa

ONE in every two offshore Indians wanting to join their compatriots on an Australian university campus is rebuffed.

Just over 50 per cent of higher education visa applications out of India were successful in 2011-12, according to a new breakdown of official data.

This breakdown appears in the latest briefing note from the Australian Council for Educational Research.

The main theme of that note is the role of Indian students in the downturn affecting Australia's education export industry after 2007-08.

However, offshore grants of higher education visas ex-India grew 71 per cent to 3994 in 2011-12 although the absolute number remains well below the 2007-08 peak.

ACER says there were 7,716 offshore higher education applications from India in the last financial year, "suggesting a renewed demand".

The offer of two years' work rights after graduation with an Australian bachelor's degree is reported to be especially attractive in the Indian market.

Phil Honeywood, executive director of the International Education Association of Australia, said it had taken agents and would-be students in India some time to get to grips with the post-Knight changes to visa regulations.

But there were "positive signs" that Australian higher education was once again becoming attractive in the Indian market.

"However, the VET market is virtually non-existent as Indian students want the option of post-study work rights that only currently come with higher education enrolment," he said.

"As DIAC (the immigration department) have indicated a clear preference in recent years for students originating from southern India specifically, it would be interesting to drill down into this data and see what regions in India are now scoring the highest student visa grant rates."

The effect on the Indian higher education market of the new genuine temporary entrant test, applied since November last year, is not clear. The decline in grant rates, charted by ACER, began well before this test.

(Grant rates for the offshore Chinese market are much higher. In 2010-11, 97 per cent of offshore applications for higher education visas ex-China were successful.)

The ACER note shows a dramatic rise in the number of Indian students opting for higher education in Canada, where the migration incentives are stronger.

Whether or not the return of Indian students to Australia's universities is sustainable will be clearer when the immigration department releases visa statistics for the December quarter this year.

Source: The Australian