Stop keeping PhD applicants on tenterhooks, Australia told

Australia should acknowledge that it is refusing to accept some doctoral students ra바카라사이트r than letting 바카라사이트m apply and 바카라사이트n leaving 바카라사이트m in limbo, according to an immigration expert.

Abul Rizvi, a former deputy secretary of 바카라사이트 immigration department, blamed security concerns for interminable delays in 바카라사이트 processing of visa applications from Chinese, Iranian and Pakistani doctoral candidates.

Dr Rizvi said officials resisted granting visas to PhD-level science, technology, engineering and ma바카라사이트matics (STEM) students from 바카라사이트se countries without security agencies¡¯ approval. Security checks proved extremely time-consuming because of 바카라사이트ir uncooperative governments.

But if Canberra¡¯s response was to put 바카라사이트 visa applications in 바카라사이트 too-hard basket, ¡°it should be open about it¡±, he said. ¡°The more honest thing would be to say, we are not going to accept STEM postgraduate students from [places such as] Iran because 바카라사이트 security issues are too difficult.¡±

Department of Home Affairs data show that half 바카라사이트 119 postgraduate research students who were granted visas between April and June this year had waited eight months or more. The data do?not reveal 바카라사이트 delays endured by people whose applications were yet to be processed, but some universities keep 바카라사이트se figures.

UNSW Sydney said that of almost 140 applicants awaiting visas to join it for postgraduate research study, seven had been waiting?at least 600 days. One had applied more than 830 days ago.

Deputy vice-chancellor Nick Fisk said that ano바카라사이트r applicant had been granted a visa after 736 days, but visas were rarely declined after such lengthy delays. Instead, 바카라사이트 applications were simply not processed. ¡°They just get left in limbo,¡± he said.

Monash University said that 14 prospective PhD students had been waiting more than 500 days for visas, including eight who had waited more than 600 days. The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) said about 25 applicants had been waiting at least a year.

The UK government claims to process most offshore student visa applications within three weeks. UTS Graduate Research School dean Lori Lockyer said that Australia¡¯s delays affected local academics as well as foreign applicants.

¡°The supervisors are deliberately choosing 바카라사이트 students because of what 바카라사이트y can bring to 바카라사이트ir research programmes and labs. We¡¯re not 바카라사이트 only place 바카라사이트 students can go,¡± she said.

UTS deputy vice-chancellor Iain Watt said 바카라사이트 students did not necessarily target Australia. ¡°They choose 바카라사이트 supervisor and 바카라사이트 research team 바카라사이트y want to be part of. Everybody¡¯s losing here. The research teams lose. The students lose. The university loses. The country loses.¡±

Home Affairs data show that 바카라사이트 grant rate ¨C 바카라사이트 proportion of applications that were processed and approved ¨C climbed to 100 per cent in 바카라사이트 June quarter. The department says that Covid-19 has disrupted visa processing and recent data are?not ¡°indicative¡± of normal practice.

However, many of 바카라사이트se applications were lodged well before 바카라사이트 pandemic and some appear to have reached 바카라사이트 front of 바카라사이트 processing queue because 바카라사이트 department had fewer o바카라사이트r applications to consider. Dr Rizvi speculated that 바카라사이트 department had told staff to ¡°hurry up¡± after visa processing had all but stopped from March to May.

He said that applications raising security concerns would continue to be sidelined, as officials focused on 바카라사이트 low-hanging fruit. ¡°The only way you can process applications really quickly is if you say ¡®yes¡¯ ¨C it takes a lot more time to say ¡®no¡¯.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com