International students are good for Australian universities and Australian students. They provide additional revenue and subsidise costs for local students. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship seem to have forgotten these benefits, forcing African students to cut through red tape and meet onerous and unrealistic financial requirements in order to study in Australia.
The department's attitude has been described as reminiscent of âthe White Australia policyâ. While that may be extreme, the numbers speak for themselves. The number of African students starting in Australian tertiary institutions fell from 7698 in 2008 to 4591 last year.
It's little wonder. African students are required to have $70,000 to $100,000 in a bank account for three months before applying for a student visa. Although the Immigration department may fear that students will seek asylum once in the country, there must be a balance between allowing them to come over with nothing and forcing them to have more in the bank than many Australians.
Demand that the Department of Immigration and Citizenship reduce the red tape and financial requirements for African students studying in Australia.