IDP Streamlined Visa Processing Implementation and Challenges IDP s perspective Cynthia Celestine Manager, Operational Improvements IDP Education October 2012 Implementing SVP: IDP s Proactive Approach Objectives Engaging Stakeholders Scale of IDP Operation Development of IDP s SVP process Other challenges Collaboration with university partners Roll-out and training Outcomes www.aiec.idp.com 1
Implementing SVP: IDP s Objectives STUDENTS Manage expectations Genuine students benefit from policy changes CLIENTS Help Clients manage their risk when recruiting genuine students IDP Robust and consistent Streamlined Visa Processing process across the entire IDP network Implementing SVP: Engaging Stakeholders Engaging Stakeholders to meet their expectations Key Clients International Office, Admissions DIAC Universities Australia and its Working Group DIAC Posts in country IDP Network Counsellors, Country Directors www.aiec.idp.com 2
The IDP Global Network IDP OFFICE LOCATIONS Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Cambodia China Egypt Germany Hong Kong Jordan India Indonesia Korea (South) Kuwait Malaysia Mauritius New Caledonia Oman Philippines Saudi Arabia Singapore Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand Turkey United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States of America Vietnam SOURCE REGIONS Australasia South East Asia North Asia South Asia Middle East North Asia Middle East South Asia Australia South East Asia Australasia network of 80 offices in 31 countries www.aiec.idp.com 3
550 dedicated counsellors in the IDP global network more than 20,000 students placed by IDP every year www.aiec.idp.com 4
IDP places 1 student every 20 minutes from around the world Implementing SVP: IDP Standard Process IDP supports all Australian universities to process prospective students under the Streamlined Visa Processing provisions by following a consistent procedure across all IDP offices in order to help manage risk. The step-by-step procedure ensures that IDP Counsellors run through distinct checkpoints and record their interactions with students in OSCAR. In this way, a full audit trail is held within OSCAR and can be reviewed at any point during the process or retrospectively. There are four core aspects of the new IDP Streamlined Visa Processing assessment stages that have been developed for counsellors to manage their work flow. www.aiec.idp.com 5
Implementing SVP: IDP Assessment Stages Counselling Stage 1) Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) Assessment GTE assessment will primarily take place during the counselling stage. Additionally, skilled counsellors will be aware of indicators throughout their ongoing interactions with students which could help in their assessment of whether the student is a GTE All students are interviewed by IDP counsellors counsellors get to know students, their families, and get a good understanding of their personal situations Students will be given detailed information of the academic, language and financial requirements for their application All students will be asked a set of distinct questions to help IDP Counsellors determine their GTE status All students will be required to sign a student declaration confirming a) their ability to fund their studies, and b) all document submitted are genuine All interactions with students will be recorded in OSCAR Implementing SVP: IDP Assessment Stages Application Stage 2) Academic Assessment All academic documents will be screened and assessed to ensure the student meets the entry requirements of the institution Credits for prior learning will be evaluated for exemptions All original academic documents will be sighted by IDP Counsellors and copies will be certified as genuine copies All copies of certified original or notarised copies of academic documents will be stored in OSCAR 3) Language Assessment Original certificates will be checked for the English language entry requirement of the institution Copies of originals will be sighted and certified Copies of certified documents or notarised copies will be stored in OSCAR 4) Financial Assessment IDP Counsellors will review documentation provided by students to demonstrate their ability (or their sponsor s ability) to fund the study program IDP will require a student/sponsor declaration confirming their ability to fund studies Documentary evidence of funds may be required, depending on country of citizenship www.aiec.idp.com 6
Implementing SVP: IDP Assessment Stages Audit Checks All interactions with students will be logged in OSCAR, including emails and notes from conversations. Copies of evidentiary documents will also be stored in the student record in OSCAR which will enable a comprehensive audit review for any student application from IDP. The IDP process also includes two distinct audit checkpoints: 1. After the final verification point, random spot-checks will be performed by senior IDP managers to check that IDP Counsellors have followed all parts of the process correctly 2. IDP will review any visa rejections by DIAC to ascertain reasons (where possible) for the rejection, to identify any emerging trends, and to build a matrix to manage risk Whilst IDP s procedure for managing Streamlined Visa Processing students will be uniform and consistent across our network, the measure by which financials are checked will necessarily vary by market. Implementing SVP: Other Challenges Challenges to implementing SVP in the IDP Network Financial assessment based on citizenship Onshore vs Offshore Federal vs. State Discrimination Legislation Varying risk rating of universities No direct communication from authorities New policy and market confusion www.aiec.idp.com 7
Implementing SVP: IDP Assessment Criteria IDP Assessment IDP Level 1 1) Student GTE assessment by IDP Counsellor including questionnaire 2) Academic documents verified student meets entry requirement 3) English proficiency documents verified student meets language requirement 4) Declaration by student confirming ability to fund their studies (tuition and living costs for the duration of study program) Country of Citizenship Example: Bahrain Germany Hong Kong Korea Kuwait Libya Malaysia Mauritius New Caledonia Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia Singapore Taiwan Thailand UAE Implementing SVP: IDP Assessment Criteria IDP Assessment IDP Level 2 Country of Citizenship Example: 1) Student GTE assessment by IDP Counsellor including questionnaire 2) Academic documents verified student meets entry requirement 3) English proficiency documents verified meets language requirement Azerbaijan Indonesia Philippines Turkey Vietnam 4) Declaration by student confirming ability to fund their studies (tuition and living costs for the duration of study program) 5) Documents to show an income stream sufficient to fund their studies www.aiec.idp.com 8
Implementing SVP: IDP Assessment Criteria IDP Assessment IDP Level 3 Country of Citizenship Example: 1) Student GTE assessment by IDP Counsellor including questionnaire 2) Academic documents verified student meets entry requirement 3) English proficiency documents verified meets language requirement Bangladesh Cambodia China India Jordan Sri Lanka 4) Declaration by student confirming ability to fund their studies (tuition and living costs for the duration of study program) 5) Documents to show income stream sufficient to fund their studies 6) Documentary evidence of one year funds tuition fee, living cost and airfare As Implementing SVP: Working with Clients Client Negotiations Individual clients had developed own processes Find common ground Incorporate their needs into the IDP process Reach agreement Documents created IDP Assessment Sheet IDP Declaration form www.aiec.idp.com 9
Implementing SVP: Network roll-out and training Network Roll-out Dedicated training manual Network feedback of local issues Counselor FAQs for Student and Client interactions 24 hr turnaround support from IDP Head Office SVP Champions in each country SVP matrix Deployed using OSCAR audit stages in-built Implementing SVP: Outcomes Outcomes from IDP s implementation of SVP Standard SVP process for 550 IDP Counsellors Consistent IDP Counsellor behaviour network-wide Flexible system can incorporate Client updates Managing students expectations and Clients recruitment Building on IDP s partnership with University sector Providing more complete recruitment cycle www.aiec.idp.com 10
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