Higher education: Australia is an option if you don’t have money or a US, UK visa

For a lot less money and through a much simpler visa process, an increasing number of students are going to Australia.

KARACHI: For a lot less money and through a much simpler visa process, an increasing number of students in Karachi are going to Australia for higher studies.

“I found out I can complete my undergraduate degree in just Rs2 million, which is something my parents can easily afford,” said a pre-engineering Intermediate student of DJ Science College, Bilal, who wants to pursue a degree in electrical engineering. Bilal considered universities in the UK as well but they were very expensive and needed very strict visa requirements.

Looking for a cheaper alternative, Bilal made his way to the two-day consultancy sessions held by AusPak, a private consultancy firm for Australia, at the Pearl Continental hotel. Representatives from 34 Australian universities participated in the event, which started on Monday.

Since most academic sessions start in February, July or October, local consultancy companies start advertising Australian universities six months before the programme is scheduled to start. Most of the students who turned up had recently completed their undergraduate studies.

A DA Degree College student, Ammad, was particularly interested in Australia because of the employment opportunities. “It’s a growing economy. You can get a job as soon as you finish your education,” he claimed.

Student Zubia read up on opportunities in Australia in a newspaper. “I did some research before coming and found out there are a couple of high-ranking universities with tuition fee nearly 20 per cent less than those in the US,” she said. She felt that Australia was a “wonderful” option for students from middle-income backgrounds and admissions were also “easier”.

According to an AusPak brochure, the tuition fee for a bachelor’s or master’s programme is somewhere between AUD$16,000 and $24,000 per year — AUD$1 is approximately Rs87.

Among all the aspiring graduate students, a couple was spotted trying to get information for immigration. “Australia is giving spousal visa to the student’s family so if my husband takes a course, my daughter and I will automatically get the visa,” claimed Mrs Arif.

Once the family gets to Australia, Mrs Arif plans on working as a teacher. “It won’t be a bad investment in education if it guarantees a good job and future for my family,” said Mr Arif.

AusPak CEO Suhail Rizvi explained that students can in certain cases not only get a spousal visa but also a permanent residency once they graduate. For those who are unable to secure a job, Australia gives an 18-month temporary residency, which can be made permanent if they are employed for 12 of the 18 months.

The trend towards Australia increased when the US and UK changed their student-visa policies, said Rizvi. He added, however, that a fewer number of students applied this year as the rate of the Australian dollar strengthened. Normally, up to 5,000 students from Pakistan go to Australia every year.

People interested in IT, accounting, finance and teaching could find good opportunities in Australian universities. Rizvi said that eight of the world’s highest-ranking universities are in the country, namely the University of Sydney, University of Melbourne, Queensland University of Technology, University of Queensland, University of Adelaide, University of Western Australia, Monash University and Australian National University.

There is great emphasis on research in Australia and universities are still offering generous scholarships to research students, Rizvi claimed.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2011.