Australia toughens points system

Australia is toughening the rules for gaining permanent residency for overseas students. It is amending its points system to focus on high skill levels and employee sponsorship.
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen has announced a new points system designed to, in his words, swap hair-dressing students with scientists.
Tertiary Education Minister Chris Evans rejected any suggestion the Commonwealth should compensate education providers for lost income. "Now graduates will have to fit within July’s new skilled occupation list, which gives prominence to high-skill jobs in health and engineering, and pass a strict new points test," he said.
Monash University researcher Bob Birrell said a reformed points test would allow the government "to apply a more discriminating filter to select the best applicants."
The Hindu reports earlier decisions had slashed the number of points-tested places available while the number of former students seeking those places had risen sharply.