The Department of Home Affairs has recently changed the wording on the Bridging Visa notification.
- Where it previously did not state the expiry date of the student visa explicitly but rather noted that a Bridging Visa had been granted, the new version states the Bridging Visa will only become active after the Student Visa ends on <specific date>.
- The outcome of this change means that Providers should not be enrolling applicants into the Program before their Bridging Visa becomes active.
i.e. even though the applicant may present with a valid Bridging Visa, unless it is active at the time of enrolment they should not be accepted into the Program – they are still on a Student Visa and are not eligible.
This may seem like a technicality, but it could have serious implications when the graduate applies to Home Affairs for PR and it is discovered that they enrolled in the Program whilst still on a Student Visa.
- We need to ensure that all marketing team and all agents are aware of this and that no applicant is enrolled in the Program while still on a Student Visa.
- Both ACCPYP and ACS now require students to be on (bridging visa active) status and this student is on visitor visa active status.
Although the PY entry requirements changed this time, we still have the full capacity of Saturday PY class (8 classes ) in Sydney campus.
(ATMC CRICOS CODE: 03013D)