OSP (Overseas Student Program)

Overseas Student Program (OSP) is a program run by the Australian Government under which people who are not Australian residents (ie neither an Australian citizen nor an Australian permanent resident) can apply for a student visa to come and study in Australia.

The Key Objectives of the Overseas Student Program (OSP) are:

• Increase export revenue by promoting Australia’s education and training systems overseas
• Promote goodwill and an international understanding of Australia, which are crucial assets for Australia’s future trade and security
• Develop bilateral relations through contributions to the social and economic development of countries, particularly those in the Asia-Pacific region (this is achieved through the bilateral sponsored program administered by AusAID
• Provide opportunities for students from developing countries for study in Australia by awarding Australian government and institution sponsorships and
• Provide cultural and economic benefits to Australia through genuine overseas students studying in Australia.

Simplified Student Visa Framework (SSVF):

On 16 June 2015, the Australian Government announced the introduction of a Simplified Student Visa Framework (SSVF). The SSVF responds to recommendations from the Future directions for streamlined visa processing review.

The SSVF came into operation on 1 July 2016 and establishes a student visa framework that is easier to navigate for genuine students, reduces regulation and red-tape for business, creates a more level playing field for education providers and delivers a more targeted risk based approach to immigration integrity.

Two key changes under the SSVF are:

a reduction in the number of student visa subclasses from eight to two (Subclass 500 visa for students and Subclass 590 visa for student guardians) and
the establishment of a single immigration risk framework for all student visa applications.

Country and education provider immigration risk model:

A single immigration risk framework came into effect on 1 July 2016 to replace the previous streamlined visa processing and Assessment Level risk frameworks.

The framework operates in policy to guide decision makers, rather than being formally legislated. Under the framework, the combined immigration risk outcomes of the student’s education provider and country of citizenship are used to guide the level of financial and English language documentation that the student needs to provide with their visa application.