GOOD SHOW, MATE: A student goes through a booklet while others flock to counters set up at the Australian Education Fair at the Taj Krishna in Banjara Hills on Sunday.

HYDERABAD: International students vying for a higher education degree in Australia may soon get lucky. By the year-end, students who finish their higher education may be eligible for a two-year work permit in their relevant field.

On the sidelines of the third Australian Education Fair here on Sunday, Priya Raja, education promotion officer, Australian Education International (AEI), Australian High Commission, said: "The proposal is subject to Parliament's approval and likely to come through by the year-end."

Scotland is offering work permits to international students. However, there is no relation between the job and the area of specialisation in Scotland.

Cost factor

Students like Rucha Jagirdar, B.Com final year student, found Australia suitable for her higher education plans as compared to the US and the UK because of difference in cost and easier work permit. K. Swapna, MCA degree holder from Osmania University, said: "I would have liked direct interaction with universities for more information. There are only consultants here." According to organisers, there are 15,000 Indian students in Australia as per 2006 figures. "There has been a 35 per cent increase in the number when compared to 2005," said Ms. Raja. Terming Australia cost-effective in terms of tuition fee and living costs, she said the success rate of visas was between 85 per cent and 90 per cent.

"Students have flexibility in designing their own course and have the advantage of pursuing dual degrees," she noted.

Some of the sought-after courses in Australia are: commercial cooking, professional accountancy, biotech, mechanical engineering, IT, computer sciences and Internet security. Diplomas in hairdressing and community welfare were on the rise, organisers said.

The fair was organised by the Association of Australian Education Representative in India (AAERI) and supported by the Australian High Commission. Some of the prominent universities represented at the fair were University of Ballart, University of Southern Queensland and Central Queensland University.

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