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PhD student visa delayed more than 8 months

17K views 52 replies 12 participants last post by  Nikku 
#1 ·
I am a student from India.I applied for a student visa to pursue Ph.D. in Australia 8 months ago and till now I have heard nothing.I just want to know whether I will get a decision for my application or shall I move on.Please suggest.
 
#4 ·
I mailed them a many times.The reply is checked by external agencies.They send the same mail many times only a few lines vary.I have deferred my admission more than 3 times now.Actually, I never thought that I will face this kind of situation before applying.Please suggest what I can do.In a very helpless situation.I left many other offers to accept this and I am this situation now.My family is worried and me too.Should they at least give a decision?
 
#14 ·
Thank You for all your suggestions.I hope visa get issued soon.I am sure there are many like me who are facing the same kind of delay.I hope for the best.Because 8 months is a very precious and lengthy time.I still have hope and I believe everything will be fine.
 
#19 ·
It's one of the top Australian universities bro and I'm waiting since June 2017. I can relate to your situation. I don't understand why DIBP is playing with our careers. Either say yes or no, but give a decision, so we can move on with life. More than 6 months is a really long period to just sit and wait for a decision.
 
#18 ·
It was not so long ago that 90% of student visa applications from the sub continent were refused, regardles of the merits of the case.

It has been reported that in the classified cabinet documents that were 'lost' and recently returned to ASIO by the ABC that an immigration minister (Scott Morrison) had asked ASIO to 'slow down' the processing of clearances. This might be a factor in yours and similar cases.
 
#20 ·
Sir but the delay in those clearances were related to Asylum seekers. I'm not able to figure out how this is causing a delay for student visas, especially research sector? Needless to say, PhD candidates have very different circumstances from those of refuse seekers. Most students land up anywhere after selecting and weighing from a pool of options.
 
#30 ·
If the issue is this much with PhD student .Then they should cut the funding for overseas student like us.I had offers from UK and other European countries before taking up this offer.I choose Australia as the university was ranked quite high in research.But I never thought that I will land in this situation.Waiting for more than 8 months with this kind of uncertainty morally breaks people.Beside this we do not know where to contact whom to contact.University says they cannot help.This is a complete ridiculous situation.I understand the security checks but does a student is required to pass this much of check.I can understand the security checks for asylum seekers or permanent residence visa but for just pursuing studies do you morally think it is required.I have lost 8 months of my life just waiting for a uncertain thing.They should at least give a decision in at max 6 months.I hope Dibp and concern authorities should look up this matters seriously or else Australian research and education industry will lose lot of talented peoples.I still hope the concern people who are here in this forum will take up this matter to concern authorities.
 
#31 ·
I think a lot of the reason for the delay in visa processing is due to the popularity of Australia as a destination for international students.
There are approximately 500,000 international students in Australia, with 30% from China and 10% from India.
I fail to see why students should be exempt from security checks, if they were then anybody with nefarious intent would immediately apply for a student visa !
As far as the authorities, governments are only concerned with getting re elected, as the speed of processing international student visas is of little concern to the electorate, therefore it is unlikely to get much support, especially if people think it is a security issue.
 
#33 ·
Sir for putting up my point, I would like you to consider a hypothetical case of a PhD student who got admitted to a high-end Australian university:

The student lets say ABC first of all prepares for various exams (TOEFL/IELTS/PTE/GRE) which would help him pursue a good higher education. He then spends money on these exams (which are pretty costly as well) and clears them according to the requirements of some of the top universities around the world. These requirements needless to say are pretty high. For example, DIBP requires a minimum score of around 45 in TOEFL iBT for applying Visa but top universities may require as much as 100+ score in the same exam to get ABC to enrol for PhD.

Secondly our student now works on a proposal in his field/area of research so that he can contact the relevant labs/professors around the globe. In the meantime, he also works on some research papers so that he makes a solid application for his PhD. Now he starts applying for various PhD positions. All the universities demand a number of documents from academic transcripts to personal and identity cards to results of all the exams he cleared. Weighing all these factors, the university provides the student with a go ahead on admission. Now for getting scholarship, he has to prove his worth by submitting merit certificates and research work published. Only then ABC is able to obtain admission and scholarship to a university.

Now thirdly, our student ABC got several options around the globe for pursing his PhD. He himself weighs his options and chooses what he feels is best for him. And he chooses Australia. He applies for a student visa after already completing all the above process which took him more than 6 months. For the visa application, he again attaches 'ALL' of his documents telling the DIBP about his entire life uptil now. Now he is excited and waiting eagerly to join the PhD of his dreams. The date of joining is approaching and he receives no news on his visa. He becomes worried. He anxiously tries to contact DIBP but all efforts in vain. Finally his date of joining passes and he has to defer his admission.

He waits and waits and waits while trying to contact DIBP on regular intervals but this does him no good. He starts to question his own decisions of choosing Australia over his other options for PhD. He is not able to join and work anywhere else while the visa process is going on nor can he waste his entire year again to goto another university for PhD. Frustrated he tries to talk to people on the internet and try to get any information he can on delays. And he now knows that he is being scrutinized for 'nefarious' intent as he can be a threat to the country.
 
#34 · (Edited)
There is no requirement for the minister to process applications in any particular timeframe, or at all; notwithstanding section 65

MIGRATION ACT 1958 - SECT 65
Decision to grant or refuse to grant visa

(1) Subject to sections 84 and 86, after considering a valid application for a visa, the Minister:

(a) if satisfied that:

(i) the health criteria for it (if any) have been satisfied; and

(ii) the other criteria for it prescribed by this Act or the regulations have been satisfied; and

(iii) the grant of the visa is not prevented by section 40 (circumstances when granted), 91W (evidence of identity and bogus documents), 91WA (bogus documents and destroying identity documents), 91WB (applications for protection visas by members of same family unit), 500A (refusal or cancellation of temporary safe haven visas), 501 (special power to refuse or cancel) or any other provision of this Act or of any other law of the Commonwealth; and

(iv) any amount of visa application charge payable in relation to the application has been paid;

is to grant the visa; or

(b) if not so satisfied, is to refuse to grant the visa.

and now see Section 39:

MIGRATION ACT 1958 - SECT 39
Criterion limiting number of visas

(1) In spite of section 14 of the Legislation Act 2003 , a prescribed criterion for visas of a class, other than protection visas, may be the criterion that the grant of the visa would not cause the number of visas of that class granted in a particular financial year to exceed whatever number is fixed by the Minister, by legislative instrument, as the maximum number of such visas that may be granted in that year (however the criterion is expressed).

(2) For the purposes of this Act, when a criterion allowed by subsection (1) prevents the grant in a financial year of any more visas of a particular class, any outstanding applications for the grant in that year of visas of that class are taken not to have been made.

Because of the money various parties can can rake in, students are most unlikely to be told they have not made an application, but 'cap and cease is available' .

For fun, search: cap and cease.

The good ship Titancic steams on.
 
#35 ·
Your situation is similar to people who are forced to those required to put on lives on hold while their application for a partner visa is processed.
A wait of 12 to 18 months for an answer is not uncommon, as I mentioned previously in regard to student visas, the Government is not interested in how long it takes to process or how much it cost as it is off very little interest to the electorate, and therefore the Government's chance of re election.
Maybe an education campaign that alerted applicants of the steps required in obtaing different classes of visas might prepare them for what lies ahead.
 
#39 ·
Australian DIBP is acting strangely, its a sensitive matter. Many students/ professionals are leaving their jobs in order to join the univ. Its a waste of time for them if the VISA process gets delayed.
I don' know how a student is suppose to plan his/her work in such cases.

I was planning to write to 'Australian High Commissioner in India' about the issue, but don' know , how many others are suffering.

If u all agree we can collectively write to her.
 
#47 ·
Hello Everyone,

I am Sowmya from India .Even I have similar problem of delay in student visa for PhD.I filed my visa on 20 Jan 2018 but still haven't heard anything from them. Everytime I drop a mail,they forward me similar mail which doesn't state any timeframe for processing.It has been almost 5 months and I updated 3 COE's .It is frustrating to wait every single day.If anyone has received visa and contacted any authorities please let me know.
 
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