User Name Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 A SERIOUS political headache looms for the next federal government over what to do with up to 200,000 international students. They have finished their courses but are allowed to stay in Australia a further 18 months. Both the Howard and Rudd administrations permitted the students to stay on to improve their English language skills or find a job in their chosen qualification, a pathway to permanent residency. But it has helped create a bubble in Australia's net overseas migration rate, which the Australian Bureau of Statistics yesterday confirmed hit the highest on record in 2008-09 at 298,900. Ballooning immigration was the main factor behind the rapid population increase in recent years and has been the catalyst for the "big Australia" population debate that dominated the first stage of the election campaign. Leading demographer Peter McDonald said the sudden growth in the net overseas migration rate was exacerbated by those arriving in Australia on temporary visas who haven't left. He said the build-up of overseas students still in Australia after their courses were complete was likely to be somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000, and any political move to send the students home would create a huge domestic labour force issue. "These people are all employed in Australia as taxi drivers, in bakeries, in aged-care facilities, in hospitality. If a future government decided it wasn't going to give them permanent residency, this would mean many would drop out of employment, creating huge labour shortages in the areas they are working," Professor McDonald said. "I think if there were Australian workers to fill those jobs, they would be doing it now." "On the other hand, if they are able to stay, they will take up most of the permanent resident places under the skilled migration program. In other words, the government will be in a position that it will have to choose. "While it would have been better if it hadn't happened at all, if I was the government, I would take the students that are already here as a one-off, but also still take the mining engineers and the nurses and other skilled migrants. "I'd increase the permanent intake for a short period until these temporary student visa holders washed through the system." Julia Gillard opened the election campaign with a warning that Australia should not "hurtle" toward a population of 36 or 40 million by 2050, but later claimed the issue was not about immigration. The Coalition has a policy for the net overseas migration to be capped at 170,000 a year. The ABS figures yesterday showed that "over the past three years, NOM has more than doubled from 146,800 persons in 2005-06 to (an estimated) 298,900 in 2008-09, the highest on record". It also noted significant shifts in interstate migration, with Queensland and Western Australia recording net growth. Queensland gained 12,500 people from NSW alone, which continued to record significant losses. Overseas students inflate migration bubble | The Australian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User Name Posted July 30, 2010 Author Share Posted July 30, 2010 298,000 is one hell of a number. I didn't know there were that may. I thought onshore applicants were only at 40 odd thousand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anna1 Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 A SERIOUS political headache looms for the next federal government over what to do with up to 200,000 international students. They have finished their courses but are allowed to stay in Australia a further 18 months. Both the Howard and Rudd administrations permitted the students to stay on to improve their English language skills or find a job in their chosen qualification, a pathway to permanent residency. But it has helped create a bubble in Australia's net overseas migration rate, which the Australian Bureau of Statistics yesterday confirmed hit the highest on record in 2008-09 at 298,900. Ballooning immigration was the main factor behind the rapid population increase in recent years and has been the catalyst for the "big Australia" population debate that dominated the first stage of the election campaign. Leading demographer Peter McDonald said the sudden growth in the net overseas migration rate was exacerbated by those arriving in Australia on temporary visas who haven't left. He said the build-up of overseas students still in Australia after their courses were complete was likely to be somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000, and any political move to send the students home would create a huge domestic labour force issue. "These people are all employed in Australia as taxi drivers, in bakeries, in aged-care facilities, in hospitality. If a future government decided it wasn't going to give them permanent residency, this would mean many would drop out of employment, creating huge labour shortages in the areas they are working," Professor McDonald said. "I think if there were Australian workers to fill those jobs, they would be doing it now." "On the other hand, if they are able to stay, they will take up most of the permanent resident places under the skilled migration program. In other words, the government will be in a position that it will have to choose. "While it would have been better if it hadn't happened at all, if I was the government, I would take the students that are already here as a one-off, but also still take the mining engineers and the nurses and other skilled migrants. "I'd increase the permanent intake for a short period until these temporary student visa holders washed through the system." Julia Gillard opened the election campaign with a warning that Australia should not "hurtle" toward a population of 36 or 40 million by 2050, but later claimed the issue was not about immigration. The Coalition has a policy for the net overseas migration to be capped at 170,000 a year. The ABS figures yesterday showed that "over the past three years, NOM has more than doubled from 146,800 persons in 2005-06 to (an estimated) 298,900 in 2008-09, the highest on record". It also noted significant shifts in interstate migration, with Queensland and Western Australia recording net growth. Queensland gained 12,500 people from NSW alone, which continued to record significant losses. Overseas students inflate migration bubble | The Australian "These people are all employed in Australia as taxi drivers, in bakeries, in aged-care facilities, in hospitality." Can't believe Peter McDonald made such a comment.....and he is a leading demographer and professor? Perhaps he needs to get out of his office more often. Not ALL international students after completing their courses are employed in Australia as taxi drivers etc, in fact, there are students working in the field that is relevant to their studies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User Name Posted July 30, 2010 Author Share Posted July 30, 2010 "These people are all employed in Australia as taxi drivers, in bakeries, in aged-care facilities, in hospitality." Can't believe Peter McDonald made such a comment.....and he is a leading demographer and professor? Perhaps he needs to get out of his office more often. Not ALL international students after completing their courses are employed in Australia as taxi drivers etc, in fact, there are students working in the field that is relevant to their studies. He is talking about existing students not ones that completed studies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tanner Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Once arrived, they take a few years to finish their courses. So if you look at the 'stock' number of students it will appear cumulatively high. A significant portion of the students, nonetheless, leave Australia once they finish. The rest, which is a massive chunk, go onto several different visas. The 4x,xxx quota you mentioned is only the 885 (and 175, which is irrelevant to this topic). Think how many other classes/subclasses we have seen mentioned on this forum alone, that many ex-students move further onto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nick9 Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Plenty of students who finished their studies this semester will have to go back sooner or later due to the changes in immigration rules and new SOL. I wonder if they count the net immigration including these people or excluding them! If they count it including these people who are on TR then there are some flaws with the counting. People so many of these people who are or will be on TR will eventually return back to their home countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Hi User Name Thanks very much for the article above. I completely agree with Professor McDonald. No matter how the problem arose - or why it arose - the only dignified, civilised way for the Australian Government to proceed is by granting a one-off Amnesty to everybody caught up in the GSM visa applications mess. Do that and they won't need any of the Minister's absurd and iniquitous Cap & Kill devices instead. I don't think that what the current and graduate International Students are doing is relevant. The issue is that the Howard and the Krudd Governments between them created the mess. It is now incumbent upon Prime Minister Gillard to get Australia out of that mess with grace, honour and integrity. The only way to do that is via a one-off Amnesty being granted to ALL the visa applicants who are caught up in the mess. She can reverse the Minister's recent clumsy, inappropriate attempt to use S39 if she wants to. She would want to do that if she has any decency and honesty of her own. Cheers Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournegirlinny Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Hi User Name Thanks very much for the article above. I completely agree with Professor McDonald. No matter how the problem arose - or why it arose - the only dignified, civilised way for the Australian Government to proceed is by granting a one-off Amnesty to everybody caught up in the GSM visa applications mess. Do that and they won't need any of the Minister's absurd and iniquitous Cap & Kill devices instead. I don't think that what the current and graduate International Students are doing is relevant. The issue is that the Howard and the Krudd Governments between them created the mess. It is now incumbent upon Prime Minister Gillard to get Australia out of that mess with grace, honour and integrity. The only way to do that is via a one-off Amnesty being granted to ALL the visa applicants who are caught up in the mess. She can reverse the Minister's recent clumsy, inappropriate attempt to use S39 if she wants to. She would want to do that if she has any decency and honesty of her own. Cheers Gill Totally agree with you Gill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User Name Posted July 30, 2010 Author Share Posted July 30, 2010 Hi Gill, I recall your post where you said they gave amnesty back some 20 years ago. I bet the it was a significantly less number from back then. Definitely not in 100,000+ at least. I highly doubt amnesty is an option for them. It would be equivalent to admitting to a massive screw-up for which both Rudd and Howard government was responsible. Much as I hate the term "amnesty" as if we are some criminals. We all lodged legitimate applications and paid the right fees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matjones Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Hi Gill, I recall your post where you said they gave amnesty back some 20 years ago. I bet the it was a significantly less number from back then. Definitely not in 100,000+ at least. I highly doubt amnesty is an option for them. It would be equivalent to admitting to a massive screw-up for which both Rudd and Howard government was responsible. Much as I hate the term "amnesty" as if we are some criminals. We all lodged legitimate applications and paid the right fees. Amnesty for the onshore folks makes complete sense to me, and I agree with Gill that its the only way they can get out of this mess. The onshore folks are already there in AU, contributing to society, so it wouldn't be any extra burden on the system to allow them to stay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User Name Posted July 30, 2010 Author Share Posted July 30, 2010 Anyway I don't see what the drama is. Students are leaving in hordes now. News around this education sector is that it is shrinking big times with hospitality colleges being first casualties. Problem is the ones in the pipeline like me, numbering some 40,000. After living here 8 years, I saw every Tom, Dick and Harry who came here after me get their PR well before me. I did the right thing. Did 4 years of high school and 4 years of uni. Mind you back in 2005 when I did finished school I could have easily done a short course just for PR. I didn't. Did a 4 year degree and now stuck in this f*ing GSM pipeline. Its heart breaking really, the thought of leaving a country I lived nearly 40% of my life and have all future plans down the drain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nick9 Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Anyway I don't see what the drama is. Students are leaving in hordes now. News around this education sector is that it is shrinking big times with hospitality colleges being first casualties. Problem is the ones in the pipeline like me, numbering some 40,000. After living here 8 years, I saw every Tom, Dick and Harry who came here after me get their PR well before me. I did the right thing. Did 4 years of high school and 4 years of uni. Mind you back in 2005 when I did finished school I could have easily done a short course just for PR. I didn't. Did a 4 year degree and now stuck in this f*ing GSM pipeline. Its heart breaking really, the thought of leaving a country I lived nearly 40% of my life and have all future plans down the drain. Considering your case, as you have spent 8 years in Australia, If I were the immigration minister I would have directly given you Citizenship instead of just PR.......:notworthy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest VIJ Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Hi Gill, Well said...Amnesty for all Temp Visa holders who are currently onshore more then 3 Years. DIAC should consider about this option, IMHO. VIJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tyasawa Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Anyway I don't see what the drama is. Students are leaving in hordes now. News around this education sector is that it is shrinking big times with hospitality colleges being first casualties. Problem is the ones in the pipeline like me, numbering some 40,000. After living here 8 years, I saw every Tom, Dick and Harry who came here after me get their PR well before me. I did the right thing. Did 4 years of high school and 4 years of uni. Mind you back in 2005 when I did finished school I could have easily done a short course just for PR. I didn't. Did a 4 year degree and now stuck in this f*ing GSM pipeline. Its heart breaking really, the thought of leaving a country I lived nearly 40% of my life and have all future plans down the drain. True, some of my friends that still studying decided to go back instead of staying. "Staying for what?" They said, hearing my stories. Getting a job with bridging visa is not easy, some of my friends are still stuck working on hospitality because of this. It is not their choice, they have no other option. I consider myself very lucky, even since uni I worked part time on IT. Getting PR was not my reason to study here, I just came to like this place then I decided to stay. My australian friends confused when I tried to explain to them now I'm in the lowest priority and might have to leave. My boyfriend is very similar with you. He studied high school, bachelor and master here. Dang! should've applied after he finished his bachelor. But we were studying -- not chasing for PR -- that is why we never thought of any tricks. He's working in relevant field and now stuck in priority 4. I can understand why he feel so wronged and wants to get out of here now. What more can we offer? Why are we in the lowest priority? Because we graduated prior to July 2010 and has been working? Nonsense! Since the beginning of this saga, I'm not under the impression that getting a PR is a promise from Australian Government. But at the very least, I expect them to treats us fairly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Princess Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Anyway I don't see what the drama is. Students are leaving in hordes now. News around this education sector is that it is shrinking big times with hospitality colleges being first casualties. I agree, I have just started my second semester at Uni, doing a B Com. Last semester, lecture halls were full, tutorial classes were run all through the day on at least 2 day's, now..... Only 1 lecture available each subject, and the lecture halls are nearly empty..... Only a couple of tutorials available for each subject...... The Uni, I think has got rid of a fair few staff, as they are bringing in lecturers/tutors from other campuses in, just to run these 'short', yet compulsory subjects. Usually July is the massive intake of international students (so I've been told), Uni is full, parking horrific, this year it's like a ghost town......just need the tumbleweed! Steph xxxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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