Australian H.C. clarifies
Thank you for publishing my response to the article by Syed Ashfaqul Haque, "Students Down Under Look Down the Barrel" in The Daily Star of 27 April 2009. I just wanted to take this opportunity to more fully outline Australia's policy on international students.
Australia values highly the contribution of international students to the Australian economy and we hope the skills these students receive through their studies improve their career prospects and benefit development in their home nations.
A student visa's main purpose is to give international students the opportunity to undertake education in Australia. As part of the process to gain a visa, students must demonstrate they have the means to support themselves, so that once they are in Australia they can concentrate on their studies and meet academic requirements. The Australian Government grants international students permission to work part-time (and full-time during holidays) while in Australia. But this work should not be their primary means of support. Those wanting to focus on employment in Australia should apply under other appropriate visa types.
Australia's immigration policy, including access to students visas, is non-discriminatory and Bangladeshi applicants are assessed within the same framework as other major countries in the region. Recognising that many Bangladeshis are unable to afford education overseas, the Australian Government through AusAID committed over A$6.5 million to scholarships for Bangladeshis to study in Australia in 2008. Australia also directs a large part of its development cooperation programme in Bangladesh to primary education, recognising this benefits the greatest number of people.
In sum, Bangladeshi students in Australia are permitted to work in the world's 14th largest economy. The Australian economy is coping relatively well with the global economic downturn at present, but nonetheless international students' main focus should be on their studies. They should avoid a situation where dependence on employment will affect their key goal of academic success and skills transfer.
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