News media has been presenting somewhat conflicting reports of living and working conditions for international students in Australia.
The Australian channel ABC News released a story claiming that international students, even in the midst of violence against Indian students, rank Australia as the safest country to study in. IDP Education surveyed 6000 students of whom 1,100 were Indian and the results revealed that Australia is believed to be the safest destination for international students amongst English speaking countries. While Australian universities are considered less prestigious than their British and American counterparts, Australia fares well in visa and immigration related issues.
In the meantime, Australian officials are trying to do damage control in light of the violence against Indian students- reports of which have been extensively covered my news media around the world. But what have surfaced recently are reports of the abysmal working conditions for international vocational students who are trying to obtain permanent residency in Australia. Many businesses across Australia are exploiting international students by making them work for free or even making them pay to work. Australian immigration and educations laws require that international students complete 900 hours of work. However, many employers discovered the loophole that these students do not need to be paid and subsequently many students are being exploited in what many are calling slavery. These laws apply to students of vocational studies e.g. hairdressing and nursing. Many students who enroll for these programs are going through the process in order to become Australian residents and are paying tuition for courses that do not even really interest them. They take out loans from their home countries and the stakes are very high for them to become legally employed and then pay back these loans. The reason many students are choosing this path is because after completing the 900-hour requirement, permanent residency is practically guaranteed.
A black market for fake completion letters has emerged as a result of this trend of students going to all lengths to become Australian residents. Agencies have sprouted that promise free labor to Australian businesses that are more than happy to charge these students to work there.
chart showing rising numbers of international students in Australia
Source: Australian Education International
However, numbers of international students in Australia continue to rise and many will willingly go through this process of forced labor in the hope of a better life for themselves and their families. It is up to the government to recognize this abuse of students and perhaps revise the laws so that possibilities for exploitation are eliminated from the process.
