Hard News
International students left confused amid record low visa approval rates and visa delays
International students enrolling at universities in Australia have raised their concerns as ‘ambiguous’ and ‘subjective’ new guidelines have stretched visa processing times from weeks…
International students enrolling at universities in Australia have raised their concerns as ‘ambiguous’ and ‘subjective’ new guidelines have stretched visa processing times from weeks to months, and visa approval rates have dropped to record lows.
The lack of consistent rationale in approving and rejecting visas has left students spending thousands of dollars on visa applications. The extensive delays in visa approvals, on the other hand, have forced international students to be unable to attend classes despite the start of the semester in late February.
While the rationale for visa approvals and rejections has not been clear, several trends have risen over the past few months, some severely concerning. Students enrolling at universities from the Group of Eight have had fewer visa rejections and faster turnaround times on their visa applications.
However, Iaadha Shareef, an international student at Monash University, one of the Group of Eight universities, said, “My visa was delayed for over 70 days. I missed my orientation and the first week of classes, so it’s been difficult settling into uni life. This was not how I imagined my first sem to go at all.”
One critical aspect the Department of Home Affairs highlights regarding visa approvals is the ‘risk factor’ associated with the university students apply to. Academic institutions are placed into one of three levels: level 1 being low-risk, level 2 being medium-risk, and level 3 being high-risk institutions, depending on their likelihood of accepting unsuitable students or providing subpar education.
The Department of Home Affairs data report that of the 197,470 higher education and vocational education visa applications lodged in the six months leading up to December, only 132,000 visa applicants were approved.
Eygan Fathy, an international student at the University of Melbourne, said there is a severe disparity between visa approvals for international students. Some have their visas approved in a matter of two weeks, while others, including himself, have had to wait over two months. All of them are enrolled in the same course at the same university and have the same qualifications.
“It is stressful having to wait so long for visa approvals, and if it does not get approved, it’s international students who lose over 700 dollars,” Fathy said. “The guidelines, aside from how subjective they are, are disappointing, and we aren’t properly informed of the new regulations or criteria they use to judge applicants. International students are truly no more than ‘cash cows’ in every aspect, whether we are milked in uni fees or visa application fees.”
In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, migration expert Abul Rizvi said that the new system for judging student visa applicants is utterly “unfair and unsustainable”. Despite a record number of visa rejections, visa applicant numbers have continued to rise. To ensure migration numbers can be brought down without abusing international students, the Australian government needs to revise these policies rather than reject applicants.
While visa approvals vary depending on the institution students are enrolled in, applicant’s nationalities play a vital role in approving or rejecting student visas. Since the announcement of the new Australian Migration Policy, one in five international students has had their student visas rejected.
This has been most prominent among Southeast Asian students, especially students from India and Pakistan. Students from India had only 64 per cent of their applications approved compared to 84.6 per cent in 2022/2023, while only 47.8 per cent of the students from Nepal had their visas approved compared to 83.7 per cent in 2022/2023. Pakistan students recorded a severe drop in visa approval rates from 91 per cent in 2022/2023 to 34 per cent this year.
In contrast, students from China, Singapore, and South Korea have had a consistent visa approval rate of over 95 per cent despite the new regulations.
Naahil Majeed, an international student from the Maldives who had their visa rejected, said, “It is disturbing that students’ nationality is a factor in the visa approval process. I don’t have any problems with accepting a rejection visa if it means a weakness in my application. Still, it is concerning when I have the scores, provide the financial guarantees, and have my visa rejected without a clear reason.”
The rapid decline in visa approval rates and delayed visa approvals that have left international students in dire situations came with the review of Australia’s migration policy announced by the Minister of Home Affairs, Clare O’Neil, on December 11, 2023. The new policy aims to cut annual net migration from 518,000 in 2023 to 325,000 people.