Australia's Visa System Criticized as Transactional Arrangement

Reality for Highly Educated Graduates

A Uber driver encountered by The Guardian's Julianne Schultz in Melbourne was an Indian graduate who studied engineering at an Australian university. He worked in aged care facilities for good wages while studying, but after graduation failed to find employment in his field and now drives for Uber to make ends meet.

The driver said, "Even if I do a master's degree, I don't know if I'll be able to get a job here. I like Australia, but I might go back to India." Schultz analyzed this case as illustrating the transactional nature of Australia's visa system.

Visa Fee Surge

From July, fees for student, working holiday, spouse, and other visas increased 25%. Spouse visas now cost a minimum of CA$11,710, up to 10 times more expensive than comparable visas in Canada, the UK, and the US. The article noted that "at such high costs, it's difficult to develop a sense of belonging."

Policy Structure Transformation

Schultz explained that Australia's immigration policy has moved away from its past approach of supporting new immigrant settlement through public housing built by the Commonwealth Housing Commission and public schools. The current system has shifted to one based on skills and various paid visa categories, entrenching a structure dependent on temporary visa holders for low-wage essential occupations.

Former Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock expressed disappointment in 2025 about "the failure of political leadership to restore honesty, transparency, and discipline to immigration policy." He wrote that "Australia risks squandering the great asset of an immigration program that has built prosperity, enriched society, and renewed the nation."

Expert Opinion Divide

At a seminar attended by Schultz, opposing sides clashed: one advocating for discriminatory policies based on religion or country of origin, banning international students, and drastically reducing visas for low-wage occupations; the other calling for easier pathways to citizenship for temporary visa holders, excluding spouses of Australian citizens from immigration counts, and respecting data on immigration's net economic benefits.

The article emphasized that current immigration system problems are not solely the fault of the Albanese government, but the result of three decades of joint construction by both major parties.

Source: The Guardian