International student visas won’t be extended
The collapse of Sterling College in Sydney has displaced almost 500 international students, who were told last night that there would be no extension to their students visas after transferring to an equivalent course.
The Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET) held a meeting with students last night, also attended by officials from the Immigration and Education departments.
ACPET said the students’ fees would go towards a place in an equivalent course at an alternate college in Sydney within 28 days.
However, if they were not able to finish the course before their original student visa expired, they would have to pay $540 for new visa.
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship said that the Sterling students would have a three-month moratorium during which they could find a new course, but due to legislation, the department could not change the visas’ original expiry date or waive the visa reapplication fee.
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