ECTA: Study Abroad Hope for Indian Students in Australia

Article Featured On: The Times Of India

Millions of students in India nurture the dream of earning foreign education from a reputed international destination. The significance of studying abroad is enormous. Building a strong academic crux is imperative as it lays a sturdy foundation for the professional careers of students. In the era of booming globalisation, it is essential to foster advanced comprehension by integrating numerous aspects of international academics. Foreign education ensures that students get appropriate exposure to diverse cultures, ethnicities, and languages, thereby, prospering the global society intellectually by enhancing students’ academic portfolio. The arena of international education is a melting pot of different cultures that enriches the overall demeanour of the students.

Australia, the home to the world’s finest and most illustrious academic institutions has emerged as one of the famous international destinations for higher education in recent years. Numerous students across India choose Australia as the destination for foreign education because of the country’s prestigious universities and colleges, beautiful natural surroundings, vivacious culture, and high standards of living. The pact of India-Australia ECTA (India-Australia Economic Cooperation & Trade Agreement) is perceived as one of the important avenues that will impart overall formal and procedural ease to Indian students who aspire to study in Australia. ECTA will potentially grant post-education work rights to Indian students along with convenient admissions to eminent Australian universities.

Benefits of ECTA: It is noteworthy that the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) is the first trade agreement between India and Australia. The agreement entails and emphasises amicable relations among the participating nations in vital sectors such as trade & commerce of goods, trade in services, technical barriers to trade (TBT), dispute settlement, movement of natural persons, telecom, customs procedures, pharmaceutical products, and cooperation in other areas. The mentioned agreement also addresses the full range of bilateral economic and commercial relations between the two friendly nations. One of the major benefits of ECTA is the ease of formal procedures related to foreign education in Australia that it grants as an agreement. The academic documentation will be made simpler with the pact. ECTA will facilitate the reduction of tariffs on various commercial and academic services for relevant industries established in both countries. As per the industry experts, the agreement will render significant reductions in the education-centric costs too, which will make Australia a viable international destination for advanced studies for ambitious students in India.

Student-oriented advantages: ECTA is deemed a boon for Indian students who are considering migration to Australia to pursue higher education. One of the important clauses in the agreement highlights the ‘Movement of natural persons’ which is anticipated to benefit the students from India multifariously. ECTA will grant prominent opportunities to Indian students to seek admission into various Australian universities and colleges in the upcoming academic session. The pact does carry a strategic significance on the academic forefront for both India and Australia. By streamlining the visa formalities, ECTA would make it easier for Indian students to reside, study, and earn employment in Australia. Indian students would be given post-study employment visas as per the agreement. Indian graduates, postgraduates, and STEM specialists will particularly profit from this because they will be given extended post-work visas. According to the agreement, the ambitious students who will travel to Australia to pursue education would have the chance to work in the country depending on their level of education.

Additional benefits: ECTA will allow Indian students to participate in working holidays in Australia. Working holidays can provide international students with the opportunity to travel for longer than ordinary tourists while doing part-time jobs to earn money. Indian students will have access to extended working vacations in Australia as per the incentives mentioned in ECTA. The number of positions available through Australia’s Work and Holiday programme will be limited to 1,000 per year, and the country will have two years to put the results into practice. Australians who have finished their education and desire to supplement it will be permitted to work in India, which will encourage the flow of knowledge. Similarly, Indian students will also be allowed to stay, study, and work in Australia.

The amiable international pacts like ECTA signed between India and Australia can contribute multifariously towards the enhancement of the international academic ecosystem.

Author: Deepak Shukla