The Australian, a national daily, reports that students are now cutting their study loads to free up time to work more in order to pay off their debts. But their uncertain future means many find it difficult to get even menial jobs. And those who do are often exploited by employers paying below the minimum wage.
The Council of International Students Australia (CISA) is calling on the government to intervene to support these students, arguing it has a duty to those being hit by sanctions through no fault of their own.
“The Australian government is part of the sanctions and they have a duty of care to these students, who are being impacted by the government’s actions,’’ CISA welfare officer Heather Richards told the daily.
Earlier this year, the federal government gave universities more flexibility to allow Iranian students to defer their studies without restrictions on work hours so they can better sustain themselves. Students are normally limited to working no more than 20 hours a week.
But many students are reluctant to drag out their studies and risk having their visas expire when they are unlikely to have the financial resources to qualify for a renewal. Some have already given up and gone home, having wasted thousands of dollars on tuition fees.
There are about 1,400 Iranian students in Australia, most on postgraduate scholarships with universities. The number facing severe hardship may only be around 300, according to Mehdi Beiki, head of the student Persian Club at Queensland University of Technology. “These are ordinary people, they aren’t politicians. They are just students who have paid for half or more of their study and they are now in trouble,’’ Beiki said.
He said students just want the chance to complete their degrees and then pay back the universities while working here as graduates.
CISA surveys since March show a worsening financial situation among Iranian students. Of 244 respondents to the survey released this month, 90 per cent said they were struggling to get money out of Iran, up from 68 per cent in March. Some 88 per cent said they were in financial difficulty and the majority of these said the stress was hurting their studies and their mental health. Of those students, about a third had a job.