Rejected foreign students in Australia might stay in Australia

Australia, 28th September: The stricter Australian visa rules introduced by the Australian government in the recent past are likely to result in illegal stay of international students on Australian student visas.

This has been warned by Australian immigration lawyer David Bitel.

The tougher visa norms by Australian immigration department had dashed the hopes of getting permanent residency in Australia.

Nearly tens of thousands of international students have been coming to Australia on Australia student visas with the hope of gaining PR (permanent residency) in Australia after completion of their study courses in Australian schools or colleges.

Bitel said that the Australian government will see around tens of thousands of foreigners staying in Australia who will be international students staying illegally.

Since people(foreign students) had come to Australia with an expectation of becoming permanent residents of Australia, so they are fuming. Moreover, they also have had paid huge sums of money as their tuition fees. So, they are not going to move back to their homes.

Nearly 100,000 international students had enrolled themselves in Australian universities or Australian colleges.

An ex-president of Refugee Council of Australia who is an immigration lawyer in Sydney, Mr. Bitel said there are clearly imminent signs of international students likely to seek refugee claims in Australia.

The number of international students in various vocational colleges in Australia went up to 231,452 in the year 2009 from around 53,301 in the year 2002. The same was the case with the foreign student enrolments which went up to 203,955 in the year 2009 from 115,200 in the year 2002.

And this sheer hike in the number of international students in Australia could be attributed to the provision of permanent residency in Australia for foreign graduates by the Howard government.

Maureen Horder of the MIA (Migration Institute of Australia) said that it is wholly unfair to invite the foreign students as guests in Australia (under the old Australian immigration rules) and then slam the doors on them by introducing new stricter Australian visa regulations.  

Although, it is still too early to assume the number of foreign students likely to overstay their student visas, but, the Australian government needs to act fast to avoid any crisis later on, cautioned Horder.