David Bitel warning

[Jimm]

Does he really think that students would risk staying illegally in oz ?

Things aren't that desperate are they ?

 

Irate students may not go home, lawyer David Bitel warns | The Australian

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Does he really think that students would risk staying illegally in oz ?

Things aren't that desperate are they ?

 

Irate students may not go home, lawyer David Bitel warns | The Australian

 

 

Hi Jimm

 

I suspect that David Bitel is more than likely to be correct about a fair number of the foreign Students in Oz.

 

He might only be thinking of, perhaps, 5,000 of the Students but since Oz seems to be pretty neurotic about the idea of visa-overstayers, 5,000 may well be a higher price than Joolya wishes to pay for the heavy-handed approach adopted by Krudd and his Krew.

 

I suspect that David Bitel is trying to warn the Australian Government that the Aussie Government created the undoubted fiasco in the first place - all by themselves - and that to try to wriggle out of that fact now will definitely come at a price.

 

If I had paid thousands of AUD for the sake of something that everybody else knows is nothing but low-value "eddikashun" as a very expensive but do-able and Government-approved means of buying myself Permanent Residency in Oz, what reason would I have for simply abandoning my investment to the Aussies whom my money has enriched?

 

Successive Australian Governments had a choice about this one. They granted the Student visas in ever increasing numbers, after all. A condition of getting a Student visa is that the Student has to prove that he has enrolled in the course and has paid his fees for the first term. Therefore the Government can't claim that they "didn't realise" what was going on because they had the information that provided the clue. The fact that the Aussie pollies at the time did not bother to consider the information is no excuse.

 

DIAC repeatedly tried to warn successive Immigration Ministers about what was going to happen. The pollies' wilful refusal to listen to their own Department of Immigration should not be visited upon the Students who have each shelled out thousands of bucks in Australia, should it?

 

There is a way out of this problem - if Joolya has the balls to do it. Her Government is perfectly capable of accepting that previous Aussie Governments have (according to the ALP) made a horrendous mistake. Joolya can draw a line in the sand, grant a one-off amnesty to all the people who have been affected by the alleged mistake and be done with it, can't she?

 

Cheers

 

Gill

[Paul1Perth]

Does he really think that students would risk staying illegally in oz ?

Things aren't that desperate are they ?

 

Irate students may not go home, lawyer David Bitel warns | The Australian

 

Where's the risk? If they agree they get sent home. If they try and stay illegally they could dissappear for a long time and live and work illegally. Australia is a big place. If they eventually get found out they get sent home, only a few weeks, months, years after they should have been. No "risk" at all.

 

Judging by the comments after the article public feeling is pretty overwhelming and Maureen Holder needs to take the comments on board. I particularly like her quote

 

"(Let's) come up with an approach that doesn't make these people vulnerable to overstay," she said."

 

It's worded as though if the students overstay it's Australias fault and somehow they are "vulnerable".

[User Name]

"Some" students will choose that path not all. The likely ones are those that come from subcontinent or China from rural background where families sold properties and what not to pay for course fees and now finds that it leads to nothing, not even half a decent job.

 

But one needs to keep in mind that its nothing new. Many people that come here on student/tourist visa come here and overstay. Some like the Chinese roof top asylum seekers came in student visa I read somewhere.

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Where's the risk? If they agree they get sent home. If they try and stay illegally they could dissappear for a long time and live and work illegally. Australia is a big place. If they eventually get found out they get sent home, only a few weeks, months, years after they should have been. No "risk" at all.

 

Judging by the comments after the article public feeling is pretty overwhelming and Maureen Holder needs to take the comments on board. I particularly like her quote

 

"(Let's) come up with an approach that doesn't make these people vulnerable to overstay," she said."

 

It's worded as though if the students overstay it's Australias fault and somehow they are "vulnerable".

 

Hi Paul

 

Your post made me chuckle.

 

Somewhere in my machine there is an e-mail kicking around, which arrived a few months ago. It started by saying, "Australia is a huge, beautiful, diverse and sometimes mysterious place....."

 

There were then a series of photos of different bits of bush/outback in Oz.

 

"....To hide a body" was the punchline after the photos.

 

Cheers

 

Gill

[User Name]

One has to keep in mind that many students that do become illegal immigrants do it as a pre-meditated effort. They usually do not have enough money for whole course and use student visa route to make easier (yet costly) entry to Australia.

 

If you are from a high risk country, its very hard to get a tourist visa. I remember when my sister applied to visit us for a week only, the embassy rang her house and asked her husband why isn't he joining her, who is going to look after the kids when she is away and all sorts of pathetic questions.

 

So its not that fact that student affected by recent GSM changes will opt to remain here illegally. Some might to at least recover whatever they wasted studying for nothing but other disgruntled students might just head home.

[Paul1Perth]

"Some" students will choose that path not all. The likely ones are those that come from subcontinent or China from rural background where families sold properties and what not to pay for course fees and now finds that it leads to nothing, not even half a decent job.

 

But one needs to keep in mind that its nothing new. Many people that come here on student/tourist visa come here and overstay. Some like the Chinese roof top asylum seekers came in student visa I read somewhere.

 

Yes, their situation suddenly changes from students who just overstayed their visa to suddenly become asylum seekers able to lodge rooftop protests. The media shouldn't even put these people on TV or give them time in print that is what the are after. Once the do-gooders jump on their case it will drag on through the courts and cost Aussie taxpayers loads until they either exhaust their rights of appeal or get accepted.

 

It's just not acceptable. Process people quicker and get them sent back sooner. It will cost a lot less all round.

[User Name]

That's a very high risk strategy of gaining PR. If it is gained, then the family back home is presumably left destitute while their kids are living it up somewhere?

 

 

 

The student to PR scheme seems like a rort - a way for the government to extract cash and a way for students to leave what they consider a crap country.

 

Saying that, I haven't really noticed any poor students around Central - they all seem pretty flush.

 

 

I wouldn't say destitute. Once students land here they immediately look for work and start sending money home slowly. Often the money is borrowed from friends and relatives.

 

If you return empty handed or after a short stint, it can cause serious problem.

 

As for students in Central, not all international students fit this category. Near Central is University of Sydney and UTS both pretty reputed universities and home to thousands of international students. Most of them are pretty well off to afford fees. UniSyd is approximately $20,000 for average full time course. UTS is bit cheaper but depends what you study really. Many are exchange students from Europe.

 

And its hard to tell who is poor and who isn't just by looking.

[yc1ten]

How about this???????

 

ALP urged to embrace growth | The Australian

[Joebloggs]

Some like the Chinese roof top asylum seekers came in student visa I read somewhere.

 

Some of the second lot of roof protesters (9 Chinese) came on Student visa's, one lady who was 2 months pregnant came to Australia in April on a false Passport.

[connaust]

Interesting to note that most people perceive that all international students are "Asian", all are studying for PR, all private colleges are dodgy, all visa overstayers are Asian etc. when many are in fact European, South American, British etc. whether they be tourists or otherwise, who are not cited in the media?

 

Latest news re. education, not just India, but applications for TAFE from China for 2011 are off by up to 80%, university over 50%. This will be catastrophic for some institutions, translating into ever higher fees for domestic students, and institutions closing or merging.... with many jobs lost directly and indirectly....

 

Real issue apart from state and federal government mismanagement and related issues "wedging" both sides of politics, is that electoral cycles are so short term and do not match that of migration application timelines..... so applicants become "collateral damage"

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Interesting to note that most people perceive that all international students are "Asian", all are studying for PR, all private colleges are dodgy, all visa overstayers are Asian etc. when many are in fact European, South American, British etc. whether they be tourists or otherwise, who are not cited in the media?

 

Latest news re. education, not just India, but applications for TAFE from China for 2011 are off by up to 80%, university over 50%. This will be catastrophic for some institutions, translating into ever higher fees for domestic students, and institutions closing or merging.... with many jobs lost directly and indirectly....

 

Real issue apart from state and federal government mismanagement and related issues "wedging" both sides of politics, is that electoral cycles are so short term and do not match that of migration application timelines..... so applicants become "collateral damage"

 

 

Hi Andrew

 

Visa applicants might become "collateral damage" but you are absolutely right in saying that thousands of Aussies who work in the Education and International Education sectors will end up losing their jobs.

 

I fail to understand how causing severe unemployment in this sector would make such a weak Government re-electable?

 

Cheers

 

Gill