Genuine Student Requirement will be replacing the Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement applicable to student visas under the new Migration Strategy released by the Australian Government in December 2023 from 23 March 2024.
The main purpose of the current GTE requirement and new GS requirement is to help the Department evaluate whether the student visa applicants genuinely intend to study in Australia, comply with visa conditions, and not misuse the system for seeking temporary migration in Australia.
This shift to the new GS requirement intends to offer a comprehensive overview of the applicant’s intentions and motivations for studying in Australia. This requirement thoroughly examines the applicant’s choice of course and reasons for selecting Australia as their study destination.
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Understanding the current GTE Requirement
Genuine Temporary Entrant is typically written by visa applicants, declaring their intention to stay in Australia temporarily. It serves as an assessment tool for the Department of Foreign Affairs to determine the probability of visa applicants overstaying after their visa expires.
The Genuine Temporary Entrant Requirement is not intended to discourage students who develop valuable skills Australia needs, after studying in Australia and who later apply for permanent residency.
The visa applicants are required to provide a personal statement in English addressing the GTE requirement which needs to be 300 words in total addressing the personal circumstances of the applicants.
GTE statement should include the following information:
- Study experiences of the applicant, including reasons for the gap in his/her education if there was a gap in the study.
- Current employment condition of the applicant.
- Future employment opportunities in their home country.
- Ties to home country or country of residence including strong ties to family members, friends, or family ties.
- The economic situation in the home country or country of residence, including recent bank statements or income tax returns, details of any property and investments.
The GTE also requires the applicants to prove that they are genuine temporary entrants by demonstrating evidence of an incentive to return to their home country. Evidence for GTE includes dependence on family members, employment opportunities, ownership of a business, and investments, among other factors.
For more information, please visit Australian Government Department of Home Affairs website.
Introduction to the new Genuine Student Requirement
The Genuine Student Requirement marks an important shift in how Australia deals with applications for a student visa.
The new GS requirement seeks to identify students who genuinely intend to obtain a quality education in Australia, without considering any potential desire to migrate in the future. This change will seek to accelerate the application process, following the discussions with the representatives of the education sector.
The new GS requirement doesn’t require a personal statement. Rather it will have a few target questions that will provide decision-makers with an overview of the applicants and their reasons for wanting to study in Australia.
The intended questions of the new GS requirement will cover the following information:
- Details of present situation in their home country, such as connections to family, community, work, and financial status.
- The political and social situation of the applicants in their home country.
- Details of the applicant’s economic condition.
- Explanation of the course choice and reasons for choosing Australia for their study.
- Relevant study history in Australia.
- Relevant immigration history.
For more information, please visit AUM Global website.
Shift from GTE Requirement to GS requirement
The replacement of the GTE requirement with the Genuine Student requirement employs a more thorough evaluation process to determine an applicant’s real intention and suitability for temporary study in Australia.
The new GS requirement represents a change in the direction of a more comprehensive, evidence-based, and data-driven process for providing true intentions. Despite its simplicity, the GTE was limited by its dependence on subjective assessments.
There are many benefits of Genuine Student Requirements as compared to Genuine Temporary Entrant Requirements, including a reduction in fraud cases, generation of high-quality students, improved student competition, and so on.
Conclusion
The replacement of the GTE requirement for the GS requirement is a more holistic and evidence-based approach to provide a detailed overview of the applicant’s intentions and motivating factors for choosing to study in Australia. This requirement covers various aspects of students such as personal circumstances and study choices. This Requirement helps to identify students who truly want to acquire a quality education in Australia, with no regard to future immigration intentions.