“We congratulate both prime ministers on providing these pathways and look forward to working with both governments.”
— Luke Sheehy, Executive Director of the Australian Technology Network of Universities
A deal that will promote two-way mobility between Australia and India will be a “shot in the arm” for researchers, according to universities. There will be more joint degrees and mutual recognition of qualifications between the two countries through the Australia-India Migration and Mobility Partnership Arrangement, finalised on May 24, reported researchprofessionalnews.com.
Luke Sheehy, Executive Director of the Australian Technology Network of Universities, described the agreement as “a shot in the arm for graduates, researchers and business”. He also said, “We congratulate both prime ministers on providing these pathways and look forward to working with both governments.”
Anthony Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi finalised the agreement, with the Australian premier stating: “Australia is a better place because of the contributions of the Indian-Australian community, and we want to see more connections between our countries.”
The agreement will make it easier for students, academics and researchers to live, study and work in the other country. It is expected to change visa requirements and create a Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early Professionals Scheme, or Mates, specifically for India. The deal is also intended to stop illegal migration and people smuggling.
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India plans to educate 500 million students by 2035, and this deal is expected to help the country reach that target
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The Australian Technology Network of Universities said that in 2023, Indian students accounted for the biggest number of new starters across its six universities: Curtin University, Deakin University, RMIT University, the University of Newcastle, the University of South Australia and the University of Technology Sydney
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“Australian universities have long been the number one destination for Indian students,” says Australia
Catriona Jackson, Chief Executive of the vice-chancellors’ group Universities Australia, said: “Universities fully support the government’s focus on growing our relationship with India, which is flourishing. We congratulate the prime minister for taking a front foot approach to strengthening these ties, through which we all stand to benefit.”
The deal will maximise the economic potential of the relationship between Australia and India, to which universities are key, she added. “Agriculture and water security are fields in which we have made significant progress in the interests of both nations, of both our peoples,” Jackson highlighted.
There are currently 450 research partnerships between Australian and Indian universities, with 90,000 Indian students studying in Australia. More than 1.5 million Indians have graduated from Australian universities in the past 20 years, Jackson said, and “more Indian students are studying in Australia than before the pandemic”.
In 2019, before the Covid pandemic, Indian students contributed A$6.1 billion of the A$40bn that international education brought into Australia’s economy, she said.
India plans to educate 500 million students by 2035, and this deal is expected to help the country reach that target. The Australian Technology Network of Universities said that in 2023, Indian students accounted for the biggest number of new starters across its six universities: Curtin University, Deakin University, RMIT University, the University of Newcastle, the University of South Australia and the University of Technology Sydney. It said that its universities “have long been the number one destination for Indian students”.
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