Indian students 'deprived of migration hopes'

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Created on Thursday, 19 July 2012 13:53

Written by Editorial staff

The rules surrounding migration visas for Indian students need to be altered if they are to be given any hope of being able to relocate to Australia, a report has identified.

A study from the Australia India Institute claimed that those on temporary visas should be given more opportunity to weigh up their options, reports The Australian.

One of the report's authors, Christopher Kremmer, said that it would not be problem for Australia to extend the visas of Indian students, so the issue should be given consideration.

For many of those who relocated to Australia to study, they did so with the expectation that they would leave with a good degree or diploma - potentially with a work permit to allow migration and citizenship.

"[But] the risk of a resurgence of negative perceptions [of Australia] has been increased by changes to immigration criteria introduced retrospectively, which have created a less favourable migration outlook for thousands of Indian students who came to Australia under a more liberal regime," noted the report.

One major issue identified by the study is that young Indians who overstay their visas often disappear and become "easy prey for criminal mafias and others who can exploit their vulnerable legal status".

Australia has already seen the number of migrants from India increase over the past two decades, as in 2008 there were more than half a million residents born in either India or China.

Those from India increased fourfold to reach almost 240,000 and together with the Chinese community, accounted for ten per cent of all overseas people born in 2008.

More than 90 per cent of these residents live in capital cities - Sydney is home to 36 per cent of the Indian population, while Melbourne has 34 per cent.

Indian-born Australians are more than three times as likely as other Australians to have a Bachelor degree or higher, as 34 per cent had a Bachelor degree and 26 per cent had a postgraduate qualification.

In response to the Australia India Institute report, a spokesman for immigration minister Chris Bowen said that students had been offered "generous transitional arrangements" in the past.

"These arrangements, in place until December 31, 2012, apply to more than 456,000 people, and provide students with the time and opportunity to explore their options," they commented.

"Those who can demonstrate that they meet Australia's skills needs, as articulated in the requirements for a permanent skilled visa, will still have the opportunity to achieve permanent residence."