Melbourne: A 30-year-old Indian student, who was robbed in Australia, is said to be facing deportation after authorities refused to grant him an extension to his study visa, a media report said.
Shivendra Singh, who arrived in Adelaide from a small town in Uttar Pradesh some five years ago and has been trying to complete a Masters degree, is one of almost 100,000 Indian students in Australia, many of who have spoken out about the criminal attacks, exploitation and the consequences.
Now his right to stay in Australia has almost expired. Singh has sought an extension to his student visa but has been rejected by the migration tribunal and by Immigration Minister Chris Evans and he could be deported within the week, a news channel reported.
His lawyer Abbi Hamden said she told the Minister that Singh genuinely wanted his Masters degree and didn't want to stay in Australia long term.
"He would like to go back home with a bride and with his degree, however the Immigration Minister did not take that into account and rejected his visa," Hamden was quoted by the media report as saying.
Singh, who has been diagnosed with severe depression, the result of being the victim of three armed robberies and having to live on the streets, has already taken admission to this semester's study at the University of South Australia.
He said that he didn't want to go home as a failure. "I will be socially outcast. That is the answer, I will be socially outcast."
Prof Sandy McFarlane, a post-traumatic stress disorder expert, said: "This is a tragic story. I think it's indictment of the workers compensation system that a foreign student like Singh is left in such a state of impoverishment that he ends up on the street and unable to continue his studies."