"For them it is an attractive option to apply for permanent residency in Australia when they have finished their course. At the moment the Australian economy is strong, there is low unemployment, and international graduates are in demand to fill job vacancies for skilled people.

"Each year thousands of international graduates are being granted Australian permanent residency. For example, in the 12 month period from July 2005 to June 2006 over 12,000 international students were granted general skilled migration visas in what is called the  E80 sub-classy.

"What do you need to be eligible for an 880 visa? The Australian Government’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), has a number of minimum requirements. To begin, you have to be under 45 years of age, you have to have studied for more than two cupations on the DIAC Skilled Occupation List (SOL).

"Then you need to check how many points you have on the DIAC points test. This depends on your age (the younger you are the more points you earn), the type of qualification you have (you will probably need to be in an occupation which earns maximum points), and your English skills as measured by the IELTS test.

"You need 120 points to be eligible for an 880 permanent residency visa. To check where you rate go to the section of the DIAC website which deals with skilled migration www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration.

"There, you can learn about the points test and see which occupations make you eligible for skilled migration.

"The  E80 sub-class visa Eis not the only way for an international student to become eligible for permanent residency in Australia. The rules are complex and if you want to become a permanent resident of Australia after you graduate you need more information.

"We suggest that you do two things.

"See a counsellor at your nearest IDP office. They will help ensure that you get the right sources of advice
Get all the information you can from the website of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, www.immi.gov.au
If you are still at the stage of thinking about whether or not you will study in Australia then the decision about whether you will one day want to use your Australian educational qualification to help you get permanent residency in Australia is several years away.

"Between now, and the time when you might apply for permanent residency, the Australian immigration rules may well change. So even if you choose a course which will give you the points you need when you graduate, by the time you do graduate the conditions on this visa may have changed.

"For this reason we advise you not to base your decision about studying in Australia, and what course to choose, solely on permanent residency considerations. It is best to make your decision about which Australian qualification you choose based on the advantage it will give you in building your career in your home country, or in another country where you have the right to work."

Australia Skilled Immigration Points Calculator: If you would like to assess your own chances of gaining a permanent residency visa for Australia based on the points system, complete this online form and your points score will be calculated for you! Study and Work in Australia Online Chat: Australia is fast becoming a favourite destination for students looking to study abroad.
According to overseas education counsellor Karan Gupta, this is because Australian schools are cheaper than schools in other countries. Admissions are also easier, he adds. However, getting a job there is another story. Karan enlightened readers on Australia as a study destination, during a chat on February 15 (2007).
For those of you who missed the chat, here's the transcript.

Exclusive Vintage Clothing: 383 King St, Newtown. Phone: 02 9517 2283. Mobile: 0415 174 883.

This is one of the stores which has helped make Newtown the center of the Sydney vintage clothing scene. As the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported in 2004: "Sydney's hunger for vintage and secondhand clothes has fuelled a 15 per cent profit surge for the Salvation Army's retail stores in the last 12 months.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is an Australian multi-campus university located in New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory. It has campuses at Bathurst, Canberra, Albury-Wodonga, Dubbo, Goulburn, Orange , Wagga Wagga and Ontario (Canada)[1]. It also has specialist centres in Manly (Sydney), and Broken Hill. "Meanwhile each morning, between 20 and 30 wholesale buyers wait for up to an hour outside the Salvation Army's Minchinbury and St Peters factories. They buy damaged or stained clothes which are then cleaned up and sold at marked-up prices at the Paddington, Glebe and Bondi markets or in commercial second-hand stores in Surry Hills and Newtown.

"The vintage look is favoured by celebrities such as Helena Christensen, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chloe Sevigny and Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City...

"Michael Liebewberg, the owner of Rokit, a vintage clothing store in the Rocks, defined vintage as clothes 'usually 25 to 50 years old'.

"'Second-hand is clothes from the '80s to last season,' he said.

Kita Vintage Clothing: Shop 2503 King St, Newtown.
This place gets a recommendation from blogger the girl loves to shop!, who remarked in 2006: "Vintage seems to be all the rage for the past season or so (in Sydney)... so it's about time we got a list together..."

U-Turn Recycled Fashion: 2 Enmore Rd Newtown. Phone: 02 9516 0686.

Botany View Hotel: 597 King St, Newtown. Phone: 02/9519 4501.
Described as the best venue in Sydney for all of your boot-shaking needs.
Regular live acoustic music including the Acoustic Lounge.

Coopers Arms Hotel: 221 King St, Newtown. Phone: 02/9550 3461.
Devoted to promoting grassroots acoustic music in Sydney.

The Sandringham Hotel: Newtown.
This is one of Sydney's legendary venues, with an outstanding record in live music and the like. You are not a Sydneysider unless you are at least partially familiar with this place.

The Vanguard: 42 King St, Newtown. Phone: 02/9209 4614. Web: http://www.thevanguard.com.
A new jazz, blues and roots venue.

Newtown Theatre: Corner Bray St and King St, Newtown.

Sidetrack Studio Theatre: 122 Addison Rd, Marrickville. Phone: 02/9294 4655.