Just recently, India has made a very impassioned plea to Australia over fears that Indian students going to study in the country will be hit too hard by new Australian emigration rules. This is something that will, not only affect India students, but the Australian economy as well.

Vayalar Ravi, the overseas Indian Affairs Minister, has just recently traveled to Australia on a five day tour of the country. During this tour he will met with the Senator for Australian Emigration and Citizenship Chris Evans.

Minister Ravi has pleaded with the DIAC for transitional arrangements to be made for Indian students studying in Australia. This way they will not be hit too hard by the changes to the Australian emigration rules.

The changes, so far, that are most likely to affect the Indian students are the removal of occupations such as hairdressing, catering, and community welfare for the new Skilled Occupation List. This is a new list that will be fully implemented as of the 1^st of July. These occupations were very popular with students that hoped that their studies would open a gateway to a new life in Australia.

A lot of these students have already chosen and paid for their study courses. They will now be affected by the new changes this year, and so Mr Ravi is trying to ensure that the DIAC comes up with transitional arrangements to cover these students.

The DIAC has already made changes that benefit overseas students. This includes a crackdown on fraudulent colleges, which would charge extortionate fees for courses that did not exist or make false promises about permanent residency visas.