05 September 2008

Australian High Commission launches website in Hindi

The Australian High Commission in India has launched a website in Hindi so that more Indians can use the resource for information about visas, immigration, development and media.

Mr John McCarthy, Australian High Commissioner to India, said, "The Australian Government recognises the importance the people of India attach to their national language, Hindi. We have taken this step to provide information to the Indian audience about Australia in the language of a large majority of people."

The Hindi section provides information about Australian visas and Australian immigration, Australian development cooperation in India, major speeches and press releases, and the Australia-India relationship.  The High Commission hopes to have this information in more Indian languages to give Indian people better access to Australian information. 

Currently, the website is used by Indians who wish to travel to Australia for tourist, educational or business reasons, and as a tool by the Australian Government to promote Australia’s involvement in development projects in India and public diplomacy initiatives.

In related news, Indian students make up the second largest group of international students in Australia, and can also boast a high rate of compliance for visa conditions, reports the Times of India.  Of the 63,500 Indian students studying in Australian universities and educational institutions, only 16 have breached their visa conditions over the past three years.

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The Australian Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people apply for an Australia visa.

Article by Jessica Bird, Australian Visa Bureau.