A key challenge for the Australian Government remains - to communicate clearly that there is no automatic link between study in Australia and access to permanent residency.
We conduct a skilled migration program that seeks to attract young migrants with high quality skills in the areas of skills shortage in Australia.
The priorities for migration must be the needs of the Australian economy. Therefore the skills and qualifications we seek in migrants will vary over time. The Australian Government will adjust the program to meet our national needs and not be driven by the education choices of overseas students.
Those who seek to market access to a permanent visa in Australia rather than a quality education do a grave disservice to potential students.
The Deputy Prime Minister and I have announced a review of the migration occupations in demand list, the MODL, which is due to report at the end of October this year.
The MODL is the skills migration targeting mechanism that provides a framework for forward planning.
The intention is to make the MODL more forward looking, thus putting the onus on the temporary and permanent employer sponsored visa categories to respond to the current skills shortages.