Sick of waiting for a visa: overseas PhD students give up on Australia

Hundreds of overseas PhD students planning to study in areas critical to Australia’s future economy are waiting as long as three years to have their visas approved. Those impacted include people from countries such as Iran, China, India and Pakistan. Academics say they're frustrated by the wait times, with fully funded research on hold and students with grants stuck in limbo.

Source: Supplied

When Hamed Pourazad received an offer of a scholarship from an Australian university to study for a PhD he was elated.

But after waiting for three years for a student visa that joy turned to despair.

The 35-year-old has given up.

He's now doing his thesis in the United Kingdom.

It's understood at least 50 Iranian students have been waiting for visas for more than a year.

S-B-S has also spoken to offshore Chinese students in the same situation.

Academics who've approved P-h-D students still stuck overseas are also frustrated.

Clement Cannone is a computer science lecturer at the University of Sydney.

He says Australia risks losing crucial research and talent.

More details are in the audio...

Here's how to follow SBS Gujarati on our other digital and social media platforms.

SBS Gujarati Website: Bookmark our website 

www.sbs.com.au/gujarati as a favourite.

SBS Radio App: Download SBS Radio App from App Store or Google Play and listen to podcasts and our live radio program.

Listen to news and interviews in Gujarati: Follow SBS Gujarati on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.

Listen to SBS Gujarati every Wednesday and Friday at 4 pm.