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Welcome
to Australia!
The race
has just began. It is a race where there
appears to be no limits and no sign of
any checks and balances as dozens, may
be hundreds of agents in India, assisted
in some cases by agents and educational
institutes in Australia have mounted an
aggressive 'campaign' to recruit Indian
students for courses in Australia.
India is a lucrative market as stakes
are high with educational institutes
getting hefty fees and the agents
collecting commission running into
thousands of dollars.
Many 'agents' have jumped on the
bandwagon to search for prospective
students regardless of their age,
background or checks. Australian
Educational institutes have embarked on
massive advertising campaigns and have
signed agent agreements with both local
and overseas agents.
As one agent remarked when asked about
ethics. His comment was 'Ethics, what
are you talking about?' Skill shortages
in various employment areas in Australia
have been used a trigger to attract
students into courses which in some
cases are meaningless and probably not
worth the paper it is written on.
In the last several weeks, as Brisbane
experienced cold weather conditions,
many sad tales have emerged from several
students who are facing cramped
accommodation conditions with few
blankets to share, hardship in terms of
making payments for rent, exploitation
by some restaurant owners who take them
as trainees only to show them the door
without any payments after a week or two
of training and to top it all many
students now have found the promised
permanent residency may still be miles
away due to misleading advice and in
many cases a total absence of advice.
While all this is happening, it is
believed that a large number of 'agents'
in India, including some of so called
'famous and popular' names in the
industry are making hundreds of
thousands of dollars through lucrative
commission paid by the educational
institutions in Australia. Some agents
even make regular trips to Australia and
are given VIP treatment by educational
institutes. The story gets even better
where in one case at least an agent has
sent his wife who is now sub-renting
rooms to students. While there may be
nothing illegal in sub-renting, for that
agent it is double-dipping. A Brisbane
based migration agent said the student
visa program in relation to the way
student visas including e-visa
applications are processed is nothing
but a 'shame.' “A shame because students
are never given proper guidance or
choice and it is apparent that
authorities have turned a blind eye,” he
said. To back his claim the agent said
it would not be long before the matter
becomes a public knowledge. To
illustrate his point the agent drew our
attention to a talk back program on
Radio 4BC. Our investigation revealed
that on Monday 28th July an Australian
lady called the afternoon 'drive'
program at Radio 4BC hosted by Micheal
Smith to highlight the 'ordeal' she went
through at a hairdressing saloon. She
had visited a hairdresser where she was
attended to by an Indian student. She
claimed that the student knew nothing
about hairdressing and told her (the
customer) that she was only getting her
900 hours of experience to get a
certificate as a hairdresser. The
certificate, the student believed, will
give her Permanent Residency so that she
could get her family to Australia. It
was alleged that the student told her
she was not at all interested in
hairdressing. This was followed by
another call in relation to Taxi
drivers. The list goes on and on.
The stories that have come to light so
far relates to institutions which are
not classified as Universities. The
Queensland Indian has obtained statutory
declarations and written articles from
students who now realize their dreams
have been shattered. Students in large
numbers are firmly pointing their
fingers towards the conduct of a number
of Indian agents in India and some
agents in Australia together with the
conduct of few Educational Institutes in
Australia.
The Queensland Indian is aware that two
students have already packed their backs
and gone back to India. The newspaper is
also aware of situations where some
students have been out of job for over
six months.
Here are some of the sad tales as told
by students who out of fear of reprisal
by what they described as 'thugs' in
India are too scared to permit us to
print their names. “My father sold 5
acres of our family land to raise money
for my education in Australia. I thought
I was coming to study in a college. When
I arrived, I was shocked to see a
college crowded with students in a thin
building situated in the heart of
Brisbane City with no library
facilities, hardly any facilities for
recreation and private study, a small
lift often cramped with students” … a
sad tale given by a student. And from
another student - “I approached an
Indian agent and asked him about
prospects of further study in Australia.
I told him I had completed a course in
Pharmacy. He simply said the way to get
a visa is do a course in Cookery. Next
thing I know my visa was organized,”
another tale from a student. “I never
received any advice, never met my agent
but my visa was organized through a
sub-agent in Punjab.” is the story told
by another student and yet another tale
relates to how bank loans and finances
are organized and in at least one case
an allegation that an agent even has a
set of stamps he uses to issue 'bank
approvals.'
People who have been out of classroom
situation for years and have
qualifications in microbiology,
pharmacy, nursing, teaching,
agriculture, media have arrived here on
student visas after being told that that
they will, on arrival get jobs, and
after a 2 year study qualify for
permanent residency.
According to students certain college in
the heart of Brisbane City and a stone
throw from Education department and the
Immigration office hardly has full
attendance at courses. Yet at another
institution there is no evidence of
practical classes in cookery according
to students.
Quoting from the National Code which is
part of the EDUCATION SERVICES FOR
OVERSEAS STUDENTS ACT 2000, the Brisbane
based agent drew our attention to the
provision which stipulates that the
registered providers must comply with 15
standards that ensure their quality of
education and professionalism is of a
sufficiently high standard to enrolled
international students. “The registered
providers under the law are to ensure
the marketing of various education and
training services are undertaken in a
professional manner and maintain the
integrity and reputation of the industry
and registered providers. This standard
strengthens the ability of providers to
manage the activities of their education
agents, ensuring providers use only
reputable education agents,” said the
agent. The providers usually have
written agreements with each education
agent it engages to recruit students on
its behalf. However, the code also
stipulates that providers are not
required to have a written agreement
with agents who act on behalf of
students or parents.”
Our checks have established that even
though the Educational Institutes are
not obliged to have agreements who act
on behalf of students or parents, they
can not escape from their responsibility
where they have admitted students in
large numbers from both signed and
'agreement free' agent.
The Queensland Indian is in the process
of involving powerful mainstream media
outlets to persue the matter and will be
forwarding a set of questions to the
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
and to other responsible authorities at
both state and federal levels. The
questions will relate to the monitoring
and possible investigations in light of
our story.
Our government, over period of time, has
progressively brought about changes to
Permanent residency visas and to
students visa scheme. For students who
study in Australia there are certain
advantages. They can upon completion of
their course and subject to meeting
certain requirements making application
onshore, that is while they are in
Australia, get bonus points for
obtaining Australia Diploma, Degree or
Trade certificate and waiver in such
areas as work experience requirements.
Then there is eVisa scheme for approved
local and overseas agents, meaning that
authorized overseas agents could also
have easy access to the approval
process.
To illustrate his point the agent said
that during the publicity about the
Nursing course at Shafston College, the
Australian Embassy in Dehli was still
issuing visas to students for nursing
courses at Shafston. “Someone is
definitely sleeping at his or her job,
or is it simply a case to treat
Australian education for International
Students as an industry with no checks
and balances” - he said. |
