The number of student visas issued for Australia between July 2011 and March 2012 has doubled compared to the same period in the previous year.
With the US dollar appreciating by nearly 25% in the last few months and the UK tightening its visa rules for Indian students, Australia is back in favour among Indian students going abroad for higher studies.
The number of student visas issued for Australia between July 2011 and March 2012 has doubled compared to the same period in the previous year - from less than 14,000 last year to more than 28,000 this year —with half of them heading to universities in Melbourne, Victoria.
The student numbers to Australia had sharply dropped for two consecutive years after a spate of attacks on Indian students in Melbourne in 2009. The state of Victoria - for which education is the largest export industry - undertook a series of confidence building measures with the Indian community to woo them back.
“The growth in the number of students from India is the result of sustained government interventions and community programmes and we will continue to engage India positively,” said Ted Baillieu, Premier of Victoria, during the launch of the Indian Film Festival in Melbourne on May 11.
Currently, there are motre than 1.5 lakh international students in Victoria, with Indians constituting one-fourth of the numbers — the second largest group after the Chinese.
The Victoria government’s formal association with the Indian film festival, which was jointly launched by the event’s brand ambassador Vidya Balan, is also an attempt to not only woo the local Indian community, but also to boost the state’s image for Indian tourists as well as students.
Australian cricketer Shane Warne was also present during the launch of the event. “Cricket and Bollywood are the two religions for India and Indians in Australia. This event will go a long way in bringing the two countries closer,” said Warne.
The film fest will showcase 40 movies from the sub-continent in Melbourne from June 11-22. On Saturday afternoon, Vidya Balan became not only the first Indian, but also the first woman and the first non-player to hand over the football to the umpires before an Australian football match. She was presented a personalised jersey of the Melbourne-based Richmond Tigers, as a mark of honour.
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