Dutton backs down to universities on hiring overseas PhDs – The Australian Financial Review

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton says definitions will be broadened to allow universities to hire overseas PhD graduates.

The federal government has offered an olive branch to universities angered by last week's abolition of 457 visas which restricted their ability to hire talented overseas researchers.

Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton has told universities the government will take a broad view of what is defined as work experience so that newly-graduated PhD students who lack conventional work experience will continue to be able to get visas.

The government's new visa rules for overseas workersrequire them to have at least two years' work experience, something that newly-minted PhD graduates generally don't have.

"The government recognises that work experience may take different forms for different occupations, such as research and teaching experience accumulated by PhDs. The government will work with the university sector to define what constitutes work for this cohort," Mr Dutton's office said.

The statement goes some way to mollifying universities who were up in arms last week at the impact the new skilled migration rules will have on their ability to hire overseas talent which is critical in this age of globalised research.

"The comments suggest a genuine willingness to find a way through on the specific visa issues for the higher education sector," Belinda Robinson, CEO of Universities Australia, said.

"There are a number of options on how you might resolve each of those specific elements or questions and those discussions are continuing."

But the government has not resolved universities' other major objection to the new visa rules the fact that overseas academics and researchers whom they want to hire will no longer be able to be get four-year visas and a pathway to permanent residency.

The government has put the skill category of "university lecturer" among the 216 occupations which will have more restricted access to visas.

Researchers will only be able to get four-year visas if their specialist field falls into an area which is separately eligible for the longer visa.

"But there should be no doubt on how serious these issues are and how important it is to have them satisfactorily resolved as an urgent matter of priority," Ms Robinson said.

Universities are also very concerned about the impact of the visa crackdown on the international student market which continues to boom with the number of overseas students commencing courses this year (up to the end of February) 13 per cent higher than in 2016.

But the news that Australia is clamping down on work visas has been interpreted in Asian countries as a widespreadvisa restriction applying to students as well.

Last week New Zealand also announced a tightening on work visas, and Australia is now part of a general narrative that Western countries are rejecting skilled migrants and students.

The government's announcement has no direct impact on student visas and nor does it affect international students' post-study work rights, which allow a bachelor degree graduate to remain and work in Australia for two years after completing their course.

However, the abolition of 457 visas would affect students who want to stay on and seek permanent residency.

"The challenge for the government and brand Australia is to clarify that there is no impact on the student visa framework," said Phil Honeywood, CEO of the International Education Association of Australia.

Concerned by the overseas reaction, federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham tweeted on Friday: "Fact. Australia is open to educating the world."

See original here:

Dutton backs down to universities on hiring overseas PhDs - The Australian Financial Review