Australia provides great opportunities to students in terms of higher education and job prospects. Each year many international students come to Australia for studying various courses and the numbers have continuously risen up. Australia has the highest minimum wage across the globe which provides lucrative career opportunities. The number of students who come to Australia for future studies has risen by 15 percent this year as compared to the first quarter of April 2016.
The international students contributed about $22 billion dollars to Australia’s economy in the year 2016, SBS Punjabi reported. Among this, the top two countries responsible for this contribution were China followed by India. China stood at 27 per cent while India at 11.5 per cent. In total Australia hosted about 550,000 international students (as last recorded) from about 190 countries.
There has been an aversion from the US by Asian students in regards to the latest racial activities and incidents. In light of the same, it is being predicted that the number of international students will rise in Australia moving forward. Assistant Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said, “This is a significant increase compared to the same time in the previous year and symbolises the efforts Australia has undertaken to attract international students.”
Authorities have also seen a rise in visa applications in past few years. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection reported that the number of visa applications received in the first three months of 2017 was 111,000 while for the same period last year it was 94,0000.
However, not everything is as good as it may seem. When on one hand there is no doubt that international students are choosing Australia for studies, there have been cases of exploitation and other problems being faced. These issues require an immediate response. For starters, many universities engage themselves in false marketing and thus lure students into courses which may not be as beneficial as they seem.
Another main issue is of renting a property and finding accommodation. Students are at times charged more than what is usual and reasonable. They also face exploitation in workplaces in terms of extra hours, unreasonable deadlines and low wages. Students have faced a financial crisis because of these reasons. There is a requirement of looking into such matters and providing enough support for redressal. Many universities have already set up student help units in-house to help in searching of accommodation, settling down etc…
