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A spate of attacks, tough visa norms and denial of permanent residency have caused around 30,000 Indian students, mostly based in Melbourne, to leave Australia in the past year, claims the Federation of Indian Students in Australia (FISA).

The figure is quoted in the latest issue of Indian Student, published from Melbourne. The magazine in its editorial says Australia is no more a favourite destination for Indian students with this huge exodus in a year’s time.

The magazine quoting Gautam Gupta, a spokesman of FISA, said race attacks is one of the major reasons behind the exodus.
“Other significant factors include that there are no jobs and students can’t survive without that. Denying permanent residency to many Indians despite fulfilment of conditions has also been a reason,” says Gupta.

There has been a spate of attacks on Indian students in Australia since last year.

Thiruvallam Bhasi, editor of the magazine who is currently on vacation in Kerala, said that another factor which has become a deterrent for the students is a stronger Australia dollar.

“Even though the strengthening of the Australian dollar is welcome for Indians who live there permanently, for students coming from India it has become very expensive,” said Bhasi who launched the magazine four years ago.

“Two years ago, one Australian dollar fetched Rs30 and yesterday it was around Rs44. The average fee for a two-year study in Australia currently stands at A$36,000 and just look at the difference in the past two years that the Indian student has to bear.”

This new development comes at a time when the latest UN Development Programme report ranks the quality of life in Australia as the second best in the world after Norway.

“With the Australian dollar strengthening like never before, the cost of education today in the US, the UK or Canada is the same as in Australia and with the denial of permanent residency, the education industry there could suffer heavily,” he added.

K Immanual, an engineer by profession and a Kerala native who has settled down in Adelaide for the past 15 years, said: “The one visible thing these days is the number of Indians arriving in south Australia has come down significantly.”

Immanual too is on vacation in Kerala.