On 9 March 2010 the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET) sent an email to Student visa holders affected by the Meridian College closure advising that they been unable to provide students with a placement to enable their continuation of studies.
ACPET now wants to advise that details of all students requiring assistance that were not able to be offered a place by 12 March 2010 have been sent to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). Arrangements have now been made with the ESOS Assurance Fund to either place affected Student visa holders with another education provider or provide a refund of course money for which Student visa holders did not receive tuition.
If you require assistance and have not received an offer from ACPET, you can expect to be contacted by the ESOS Assurance Fund in the next few days. However, if you have not heard from the ESOS Assurance Fund by 19 March 2010, please contact DEEWR.
Email: meridian@deewr.gov.au
Student visa information
Students are subject to the visa condition 8202 which requires them to maintain enrolment at all times.
Generally when a student's enrolment ceases they have a period of 28 days in which to either:
- obtain new enrolment to continue their studies on their Student visa
- make arrangements to leave Australia
- apply for a different visa.
If you decide that you do not want to continue your studies in Australia with a new education provider and have sought a refund of your course money, once you have received the refund you will have 28 days to make your arrangements to leave Australia or apply for another type of visa.
If you would like a refund and plan to make your own enrolment arrangements, you should provide the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) with the details of this enrolment within 28 days of obtaining your refund.
If you have obtained a refund but have not been able to obtain evidence of enrolment within the 28 days please contact your nearest DIAC office to discuss your situation.
Students who have concerns about their visa status should contact DIAC.
Telephone: 131 881
Do I need a new student visa?
It is important that you check the expiry date of your current Student visa.
You can either check your visa label in your passport for your visa expiry date or use DIAC's visa entitlement verification online (VEVO) service.
See: Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO)
Students transferring to another education provider as a result of the provider default, will not need to obtain a new Student visa unless they change the education sector of their principal course of study or their new course is longer in duration than their existing visa.
If your existing Student visa is shortly due to expire and you wish to continue your studies in Australia, you will need to lodge a new application for a Student visa before your current visa expires.
To assist you, DIAC has introduced a visa application charge exemption for Students who need to apply for a further visa to continue their studies in the 12 months after your provider defaulted. To be eligible for the VAC exemption you will need to submit a valid Student visa application form and evidence that you have been affected by an education provider default.
If you are not able to obtain evidence of enrolment, in the form of a letter of offer, or a confirmation of enrolment with a new education provider, before you need to lodge your new application form, please contact your nearest DIAC office.
Students who have concerns about their visa status can contact DIAC.
Telephone: 131 881
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