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After August 2012, the Australian government introduced \u201cdeterrence policies\u201d for asylum seekers who arrive here by boat. Part of this is keeping them on temporary visas and giving them almost no feasible\u00a0pathway to permanent residency<\/a>.<\/p>\n Many linger in detention centres, while others who may be in community detention still face constraints on their freedoms. Many\u00a0live below the poverty line<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0suffer significant mental health issues<\/a>. They are also locked out of many education opportunities.<\/p>\n Temporary visas for asylum seekers include:<\/p>\n One of the possible pathways to\u00a0transition from a SHEV to a permanent visa<\/a>\u00a0is having been enrolled in\u00a0full-time study in a designated regional area<\/a>\u00a0for at least three and a half years. This makes education a crucial pathway to staying in Australia, as well as to employment.<\/p>\n Education also provides opportunities to learn and develop English, interact with the broader community and develop skills and qualifications.<\/p>\n University study is one way asylum seekers could gain permanent residency. Shutterstock<\/p><\/div>\n But asylum seekers have no way of paying the international fees required to study at a university, and those still at school can\u2019t stay there after they turn 18. There are no known cases of people successfully meeting the criteria to transition from a SHEV to a permanent visa.<\/p>\n We are conducting an ongoing study which investigates how\u00a0schools foster resilience in refugee students<\/a>.<\/p>\n All children aged under 18 on temporary visas can go to school. But once they turn 18, they can no longer get government-funded schooling, even if they have not finished school.<\/p>\n A school leader told us that once students turned 18 For other schools in our study without the knowledge and ability to advocate, students had to leave high school. Beyond being deprived of the opportunity to finish school, it is even more difficult for students on temporary visas to attend university.<\/p>\n A recent\u00a0publication by Deakin University<\/a>\u00a0contains a case study of Hadi, a student from Afghanistan on a temporary visa. Hadi says: A school finance officer from a school participating in our study said: Twenty-five Australian universities and one other higher education provider\u00a0offer scholarships<\/a>\u00a0for students on temporary visas. These generally cover the tuition fee and some universities provide a stipend. There are about 15 universities without such scholarships.<\/p>\n Deakin University, for example, provides a\u00a0Deakin Sanctuary Scholarship<\/a>\u00a0to successful applicants holding a TPV, SHEV or relevant BV. This covers 100% of tuition fees and provides recipients with $6,000 per year towards study expenses.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n #UQ<\/a> opens arms to student refugees and asylum seekers.<\/p>\n The University will offer up to 10 scholarships annually for students from refugee or asylum seeker backgrounds, with the first intake expected in Semester 1 next year.https:\/\/t.co\/3IhsKVXyre<\/a>@UQventures<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/rhcuaF9Sac<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 UQ News (@UQ_News) December 15, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
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How asylum seeker students are locked out<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n[\u2026] The department would not fund them. If the school wanted to keep them it would be at the school\u2019s cost and we\u2019d have to write a very compelling statement about why they should stay.<\/em>
\nThis particular school advocated for the around 20 students who were affected, and they were able to stay at the school. But new students aged over 18 were not allowed to enrol.<\/p>\n
\n[\u2026] the fear of not being able to study at university would always keep me up at night. My teachers were also concerned because I was categorised as an international student and I was not eligible for a government funded place at university.<\/em>
\nThe exact number of students impacted by these preventative policies is not known. But those who gain admission to a university would have to pay around\u00a0$30-40,000 per year<\/a>. This is unaffordable for them.<\/p>\n
\n[Students on protection visas] come to us for education. We want to do our bit and then they finish with us and they achieve an\u00a0ATAR<\/a>\u00a0that\u2019s got value for a university. And then the university says well we can\u2019t take you unless we treat you like an international student. They just can\u2019t do that.<\/em><\/p>\nWhat universities are doing<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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