Recently signed Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AIECTA) opens up new opportunities for students
Coimbatore : In a first, the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (the Australian Government’s international trade promotion and investment attraction agency) organised a Study Australia Showcase in partnership with Indian Universities.

On 20 February, the showcase was held at Coimbatore in association with Karunya University. Officials from the commission highlighted various initiatives introduced by the Australian government to support Indian students aspiring to study in Australia.
The Showcase, which started at Bengaluru on February 17 will travel next to Visakhapatnam (22 February).

Over 1,000 students from various schools, colleges, and universities in and around Coimbatore attended the roadshow. 10 of Australia’s top Universities showcased their offerings at the roadshow. Australia is home to some of the best Universities in the world – 36 out of its 41 Universities are ranked in the top 1000 of the World in the recently published QS World University Rankings, with seven in the top 100.

Mr Abdul Ekram – Trade Commissioner, Australia’s Trade and Investment Commissioner at Chennai highlighted the new opportunities available to Indian students with the signing of Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) between India and Australia in December last year. Mr Ekram also spoke about too, India’s University Grants Commission (UGC) recently announced draft guidelines for foreign universities to set up branch campuses in India, which is another step towards bringing the Australian education closer to Indian students.

“The Study Australia Showcase is another step that shows the strength of the relationship between Australia and India. We work closely with Indian students to ensure they are making the best decisions when it comes to study in Australia. The Study Australia roadshow provides updated, reliable, and relevant information to students, parents, education counsellors, and heads of institutes,” said Mr Ekram.

The Australian universities that participated at the Coimbatore Showcase were: Bond University, CQ University, Flinders University, James Cook University – Brisbane, Monash University, Macquarie University, Melbourne Institute of Technology, University of Technology, Sydney, University of Sydney and University of Tasmania.

The recently signed Australia – India Economic Cooperation & Trade Agreement (AIECTA) supports international students graduating with a diploma or trade qualification to stay and work in Australia for up to 18 months post study, while bachelor’s and master’s degrees allow students to remain in the country for two and three years, respectively.

A four-year post-study work right will be accorded to Indian students graduating with doctoral degrees. There is also a special allowance for Indian students who graduate with first-class honours in a bachelor’s degree in STEM or Information and Communications Technology (ICT) fields. Those students will be permitted to stay and work in Australia for up to three years.

A total of 1,000 visas per year will be reserved for Indian students allowing recipients to study or receive training in Australia for up to four months.
From 22 November 2021 (when the Australian Government announced that the border would open to students), more than 70,000 students from India went to Australia in 2022 (back to pre-pandemic numbers).

Australian education is in the top tier of demand globally, due to its high quality, strict accreditation standards, sophisticated support for international students, relevant curriculum and one of highest graduate employability rates, all delivering a better return on investment for the student. Australia has one of the most supportive international education systems in the world. The Australian Strategy for International Education 2021 2030 puts the student experience, student protection, and students’ rights at the centre of attention.

More information about Study Australia and the support for Indian students is available at https://www.studyaustralia.gov.au/india

About The Australian Trade and Investment Commission

The Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) is the Australian Government’s international trade promotion and investment attraction agency. We deliver quality trade and investment services to businesses to grow Australia’s prosperity. We do this by generating and providing market information and insights, promoting Australian capability, and facilitating connections through our extensive global network.

We position Australian education internationally by highlighting the global relevance, practicality, and quality of Australia’s education providers, along with their innovation, creativity and focus on the future.