Private colleges are offering discounts to rush students into a diploma the federal government is cancelling over concerns it is being “misused by shonks”. The government announced in early September it would deregister the graduate diploma of management (learning) which it suspected was being used by “non-genuine” students to remain in Australia. The course is taught by close to 450 institutions, has over 15,000 students studying currently and more than 40,000 students registered for future enrolment following completion of a different vocational course.
Ads posted to social media and shared among agents and students in recent days encouraged students to join the course or expedite their start date before cancellation on 5 October. Any students already enrolled and studying by that date are allowed to complete it. Some immigration education agents have offered promotions for the month of September, including in WhatsApp messages and texts, encouraging students to join the course or those who have a future enrolment to study now.
Several ads promote discounted course fees or a free certificate of enrolment to join immediately. One private college has sent immigration agents a promotion offering “attractive” commissions with same-day offer letters and confirmation of enrolment for students, with two “special intakes” on 21 September and 2 October – just three days before the course is cancelled. Phil Honeywood, the chief executive of the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA), supported the decision to cancel the course and said it could put some private providers trying to loophole the system into financial trouble.
Some of those students would need to do so, or choose a different course such as a bachelor’s or master’s with a high qualification level to maintain their visa conditions. That could mean completing two courses at the same time. Students who have “packaged” a lower-level vocational course with the graduate diploma to be completed after, will need to enrol into a higher-level course to maintain their visa requirements.
One student who spoke to Guardian Australia on the condition of anonymity said they had initially come to Australia to study a bachelor’s degree but unenrolled after one semester on the advice of a migration agent to do a VET course in carpentry, followed by the graduate diploma in management. The graduate diploma and the VET course would fulfil the qualification level required to maintain a valid international student visa. They said they were being told to commence the graduate diploma now.
They want me to study concurrently, [so] I can study both courses at the same time. I don’t know if I can take this much study load,” the international student said. They said other friends doing the same course pathway were also given the same advice, and were also stressed by the potential workload.
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