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Australian universities have banned students from parts of India. Shashi is one of them
Shashi always wanted to study in Australia and has the genuine qualifications to do so, but she’s become a victim of a blanket ban imposed by some universities.
Published 22 April 2023 6:45am
Updated 22 April 2023 7:02am
By Aaron Fernandes
Source: SBS News
Image: Shashi would study at her parents' factory.
Shashi (not her real name) graduated high school in the city of Ludhiana, Punjab, last year.
She had always dreamt of going to university in Australia, so researched different courses and campuses and applied to Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth.
But she received no reply.
“It took a lot of time, I messaged and emailed and even called the university. But I didn’t get any response,” Shashi said.
“After seven or eight months, I came to know they aren’t accepting students from Punjab and Haryana”.
Shashi didn’t realise it at the time, but she had been caught up in a ban imposed by several Australian universities on accepting new students from some Indian states.
“I felt very disappointed because it was my first choice. The campus was very beautiful. I became very disappointed and sad with this news,” she said.
Last year, more than 80,000 Indian students were studying in Australia, the second largest group after China. But the sector has been hit by controversy in recent months with some Australian universities banning applicants from specific Indian states in an attempt to crack down on fraudulent visa applications.
There are concerns some applicants are not genuine students and are having their visas refused.
In an email seen by SBS News, ECU wrote to migration agents in February advising it would temporarily suspend enrolments from Punjab and Haryana for all undergraduate courses. The two states are home to more than 27 million and more than 25 million people, respectively.
“This is due to an increase in the number of visa refusals from these regions, as well as concerns raised regarding students’ academic progress, and we want to take the necessary precautions to protect the interests of genuine students,” the letter read.
The university also wrote that it would now require prospective students to submit a 300-word statement of purpose, a video interview, and financial background checks “to ensure that students provide us with enough information to assess their genuine intentions to study with us in a concise manner, and to comply with immigration requirements”.
Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell (centre) with Indian university representatives in Mumbai last month. Credit: SOPA Images/Sipa USA
Sonya Singh, the president of the Association of Australian Education Representatives in India (AAERI), said imposing geographical bans is discriminatory and is calling for a more considered approach.
“There are ways of screening students, the US does it all the time,” she said.
“Australian universities need to come together and have one policy that projects the country not in a negative manner, but addresses the issues of how to screen students and agencies as well.”
“When any university says ‘this region is unwelcome’, the message that goes to the parents and the students is that they’re not welcoming. These are divisive policies and it sends out a negative message about Australia as a whole.
“You can have more stringent processes, but we don’t want Australia to be perceived in this way.”
When any university says ‘this region is unwelcome’ ... it sends out a negative message about Australia as a whole.- Sonya Singh, AAERI
Shashi’s mother first found out about ECU’s ban in February when she attended an online orientation seminar with a representative from the university.
“What happened to my daughter should not happen to any other child. You are blocking applications from a particular state, it's not good,” she said.
“My daughter had scored very well in her school, and she scored very well in the International English Language Testing System [IELTS] as well, so we were very confident that she would get an offer letter. [But] we weren’t even allowed to submit an application”.
SBS News did not receive a response to a request for comment from ECU.
Who is at fault?
Australian universities engage local migration agents to facilitate the recruitment of international students in India.
In Punjab, international education is big business and the state is well known for the high proportion of young people seeking to travel and settle abroad.
Walking down the street in Ludhiana, rows of shop fronts are emblazoned with the national flags of Australia, Canada, the UK and the US — all countries that compete for international students.
Australia is a popular destination for students from India. Source: SBS News / Aaron Fernandes
The risk is that students arrive in Australia without sufficient education or English language skills to complete their studies, or the finances to manage the high cost of living. Some students neglect or drop out from their studies entirely to work and find a pathway to permanent residency, a violation of the student visa condition that they’re only entering Australia temporarily to study.
Balraj Gupta has been running a migration firm in Ludhiana for more than 20 years and said universities shouldn’t be blamed for imposing bans.
“The fault does not lie with the universities, I'm sure of that. The fault lies with the applicants; most of them are genuine but many of them try to manipulate [English proficiency] when they do not have the requisite qualifications,” he said.
“They have been trying to manipulate the system to show that they have what they actually do not have.”
Australia's student visa work restrictions were relaxed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and completely removed in January 2022 to allow primary and secondary student visa holders to work an uncapped number of hours.
They have been trying to manipulate the system to show that they have what they actually do not have.- Balraj Gupta, migration agent
reported the Department of Home Affairs was inundated with student visa applications from India in the past six months of 2022. Migration agents attributed the scale of interest to the unlimited work hours and job opportunities available to students in Australia.
“I have no hesitation in saying that those who are going to study in Australia are basically going with the idea of staying there since this is an accepted pathway and thousands of students have done that,” Mr Gupta said.
“The point here is there should be genuine intentions.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets students at the University of Wollongong in February, one of several universities that have imposed a ban. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins
Last month, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited India on a trip his department said, in part, “highlighted Australia and India’s strong education links”.
In a statement provided to SBS News, Education Minister Jason Clare did not confirm how many Australian universities had imposed bans on students from parts of India.
“The Australian Government welcomes and encourages international students to study at our world-class education institutions,” he said.
“The government is committed to ensuring all students are treated fairly and appropriately at all times during their study experience with Australian institutions, including during the application process.”
Australian education providers manage their own recruitment and admissions policies, he said, which must comply with a national code of practice and relevant legislation.
The Department of Home Affairs said in a statement reported by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald: “We understand that student visa refusal decisions are a cause of concern, not just for those seeking to study in Australia, but also to education providers and all others who rely on the arrival of international students for economic reasons or otherwise”.
Shashi asked not to give her real name because she was worried that speaking out about her experience could impact her ability to one day study in Australia.
After being blocked from studying at ECU, she has now received an offer letter from another Australian university and hopes to arrive sometime this year.
Still, she feels mistreated by her experience.
“They should increase their security, do the checks. But this is not fair that they’re not taking applications from Punjab and Haryana students,” she said.
SBS News is not able to provide immigration advice.
