Visa capping: Students seek review

Early this month, Indian and international students took out a rally protesting changes to Australian immigration policies that will affect many pursuing studies in the previous Skilled Occupation list. Over three hundred students marched from the Town Hall station to the Immigration Office, chanting slogans and urging the government to revise its decision, which is set to be implemented from July 1.

The All International Student Association (AISA), which coordinated the rally, said they wanted a few transitional demands to be taken into consideration including extending the implementation date of the new skilled occupation list to minimise the impact on existing international students. In an email communication to international students in Sydney, AISA said, “We are a group of international students who are extremely concerned about the unfair and unjust treatment of international students in Australia. We feel that we have been misled, in that we have been charged large amounts of money for the education we are receiving in Australia and the rules for the outcomes we are hoping to achieve are being changed.”

They have demanded exemptions for the existing international students in terms of the General Skilled Migration (GSM) Program, if the new skilled occupation list would come into effect from 1st July 2010, extending the timeframe of Skilled Graduate (Temporary) visa (subclass 485) because the current 18 months visa was not enough to secure an employer sponsorship and reform the visa subclass 457, as it remains the only pathway to get employer sponsorship in terms of minimum salary threshold ($45220). They have proposed that each occupation should have their own minimum salary threshold. Or as an alternative, the students are requesting the government to introduce a new visa subclass, where existing international students will have more options and time to prove their skills based on their education, Harry Singh, one of the spokespersons of AISA, told Indian Link, “Current students cannot apply for Permanent Residency because of the current changes in immigration. Students have spent nearly AU$ 40, 000 and are undergoing courses based on the previous list. At least people who are onshore should be considered for PR. This courses they are currently enrolled in are not useful and they go back with huge loans. International students have been misled after paying such exorbitant sums of money as tuition fee,” he said, adding that after reaching the Immigration Office, they attempted to seek an appointment with immigration officials, who have promised to consider meeting with them.

Before the rally was set to take place, some students expressed concerns about the rally having an adverse impact on them and could force the government to tighten immigration laws further. They urged the AISA and other students to reconsider their decision to protest the changes.

In an email communication to the AISA, one of the students wrote, “In my opinion such rallies won’t make any difference to the government policies. It may however add on to difficulties of current students. (The) last time students conducted such rallies, they (the government) made these changes to MODL. Hence, I am requesting you to refrain from such rallies and urge everyone to oppose such rallies. It will only increase the problems of students who get involved in it.”

“rumours”.

AISA is now coordinating a similar rally in Melbourne, which Singh said would happen soon, perhaps in July. An online petition, www.fairgo4internationalstudents. org, by students and IndianAustralian citizens, is also underway requesting the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives to review the “issue of Visa capping and other recently proposed amendments to the Migration Regulation Act 1994 and its intended retrospective application.”

The petition, which has been signed by a group of people who are ‘friends of international students’, asserts that the Indian-Australian community is “extremely concerned about the unfair and unjustifiable decision of the Federal Government to introduce the Bill for Migration Amendments and Visa capping in the Parliament.”

The petition says that the proposed legislative amendments will negatively impact nearly 150, 000 GSM applicants, which include a large number of Indian students.

“The Federal Government seems to have totally ignored the socio-economic and psychological impact of these changes on the applicants especially international students who mostly come from developing countries. This action can have a direct impact on Australia’s international relationship with various countries, which have sent their kids trusting the ‘Fair go’ policy of Australia,” says the petition urging the federal government to continue processing GSM visa applications that are already lodged with the Immigration office. They strongly urge the House to withhold the passage of the bill in the parliament.

Preeti Kannan