Editor's Blog

The ABC has reported that calls have emerged to allow students, to defer their studies under exceptional circumstance like personal injury in order that they are allowed to recuperate in Australia and subsequently return to their studies. Currently only Ministerial intervention can save visa holders in such circumstances unless the schools allow for such deferments which however tends to be limited to one or two semesters. With serious injuries, this is not enough.

“We are talking about things like motorcar accidents; there's no laws in place to enable an applicant to defer for a long time, not even the policy allows for that. So often you get international students having their visas cancelled because they've been involved in car accidents, they've been injured or where they've been victims of crime,” said immigration lawyer, Michael Clothier in an interview with the ABC.

"Everything associated with those sorts of problems has to go all the way to the Minister, for ministerial intervention because the migration regulations do not make the sort of allowances that need to be made."

"There's very little discretion to take into account the sort of things that might happen to young men and women who are living away from home for the first time," he said calling for discretion at a much lower stage than the minister to make allowances for these sorts of problems.

The ABC reports that the Council of International Students' President Thomson Ch'ng says with education one of Australia's biggest exports, these matters need to be clarified.

Mr Ch'ng said "The international students which are currently abroad would like to know what the government and the authorities are taking action to assist and support international students who are currently studying in Australia when it comes to these sorts of matters,"

For the the article, please refer to this link:  http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-19/an-victim-visa/5269858