Emerging details on proposed SSVF (to come into effect from July 2016) has thrown a major surprise. Nepal at Risk AL2 along-with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, while India is a riskier AL3. It however solves one big headache regarding acceptability of banks for Nepal…

DIBP has put out the online tool by which by matching the University name with source country, one can find out if the student visa application will be streamlined. Since yesterday, many have been busy “breaking the code”.

The link is here

The matrix is being provided below:

DISCLAIMER: THE INFORMATION IN THIS POST CAN BE INACCURATE AND THUS THE COMMENTS HERE MAY BE ONLY TAKEN AS MY OBSERVATIONS. PLEASE DON’T BASE YOUR STRATEGIES ON THIS. 

It appears that for the sub-continent:

India is AL3 while Nepal/Bangladesh/Sri Lanka are all AL2 at this time.

• While my Indian pride is a little bruised especially noticing that China is at surprising AL1. (Thankfully, Pakistan has not been given that privilege of a better-than-India AL to impart this bruise.), I am particularly delighted for Nepal having made it to AL2 as it will overcome a practical and continuing difficulty.
  • DIBP’s Delhi post has had a limited list of acceptable banks for Nepal for non-SVP applications currently which could not be expanded beyond the current 2 banks due to various compulsions but under streamlining (current SVP), it  permitted institutions to accept financial documents from several other banks which appeared to be more compliant. Visas too have been granted for streamlined applicants using additional banks. Had Nepal been AL3, for all non-AL1 Universities, the applications would become non-streamlined and thus they would have had to only accept funds from only 2 banks. Now that Nepal is AL2, all AL1 and AL2 institutions will be able to have their applications streamlined and thus “possibly” be able to accept additional banks. This is a respite.

It also appears that:

• None of the Universities are AL3. Thankfully.
  • From the sub-continent, this means that All Universities can have their applications streamlined for Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
  • Indian applications for AL1 Institutions will be streamlined while for AL2 Universities will be regular/non-streamlined.

Several have used the online tool and worked out the list of institutions in AL1 and AL2. I notice:

• 19 Universities are apparently in AL1. This is significant though the list has some surprises. A new University has also made it possibly due to no adverse track record.
• None of the Universities in AL 1 have franchised/licensed campuses in other cities within Australia. This can be an indicator of sorts.

I will let you “break the code” (which is easy and the list with AL of institution is already being circulated in social media) though DIBP doesn’t want the institutions to share the AL standing with the agents. I wonder how it is expected that such information can be kept hidden when the industry mechanism works so differently. Education Agents are an important part of the process and while there are good and bad agents, as there are good and bad institutions, Universities do rely on agents for their recruitment of students.

 In its General Information Factsheet for Education Providers, DIBP indicated:

The Department does not recommend the sharing of education provider immigration risk data with external parties, including agents, because it may increase the potential for the education provider to be targeted by non-genuine applicants…

SSVF continues to be a developing story though in summary at this stage, I feel:

• With GTE staying as the key ammunition in the hand of the DIBP to approve or deny visas even if they are from Universities under streamlining and even if the financials etc are in the order, I find that SSVF is really nothing much different to previous experiments.
• And I feel that the local DIBP posts will continue to have their own “local-interpretations” and will continue to seek out the financials for many streamlined applicants too. For example: Does anyone believe that for say even Nepal which is AL2 and thus all University applications are to be streamlined, any student will get a visa without evidencing the Financials to DIBP?

The biggest stumbling block in the rollout of SSVF, yet to be comfortably sorted continues to be the issue of “online visa fee payments”. In countries in the sub-continent, the local forex regulations and also the limited access to international credit or debit cards will remain a bother. And will further highlight the role of education agents as the Universities and DIBP will expect the agents to hand-hold the student through this hurdle for sure.

I ALSO RECOMMEND THAT YOU REFER TO MY EARLIER BLOG ON SSVF.