PhD visa applicants trapped in ‘indefinite waiting period’

Scores of Iranian doctoral candidates say they have waited up to two-and-a-half years to learn whether they will be allowed to spend three years studying in Australia, as inconsistent and opaque visa processing leaves them “trapped in uncertainty”.

The 100-plus students, who have banded together via social media, said they have been kept on hold for between six and 29 months for resolution of their applications for visas Down Under.

“There is no clear or consistent pattern regarding visa approvals or processing times,” said a representative of the group, who gave her name as Ebtesam. “Two applicants with identical conditions can receive their visas at completely different times – one within a week and the other after more than a year.

“We have no clear way to track or follow up on our visa status. Each of us has contacted the Australian immigration department multiple times…but the only response we receive is that we must wait and that no further information is available.”

Protracted visa processing delays affecting doctoral candidates from several countries, including Iran, became noticeable well before the coronavirus pandemic. Despite an apparent spike in visa grants in early 2023, Ebtesam said there had been no improvement in processing time frames for Iranian doctoral candidates in recent years.

Rather, the delays seemed to have lengthened, even after visa application fees were more than doubled to A$1,600 (£809) in mid-2024. Ebtesam said the increased fee had been “incredibly challenging” for recent applicants. “Given the very low value of our country’s currency, we have to work full-time for nearly a year just to afford it.”

She said applicants facing long delays had been instructed by the Department of Home Affairs to submit two additional forms covering “personal particulars”, including employment status, military service, qualifications and contacts in Australia. “We completed and uploaded these forms, yet have received no updates since then.”

A Home Affairs spokesman said visas were considered “on an individual basis” and could not be granted “until the department is satisfied all requirements have been met”. He said the government recognised the importance of postgraduate research to Australia’s economic prosperity, but did not say why the visa delays had become so intractable.

He said factors influencing processing duration included the time taken to undertake “required checks” and to receive information from external agencies. “This particularly relates to health, character and national security requirements.”

The spokesman did not answer questions about the size of the current caseload of Iranian applications for postgraduate research visas or their processing time frames. He said median processing time frames for Iranian applicants in all student visa subclasses were 22 days, compared with 16 days across all nationalities.

Ebtesam, whose long-term goal is to become a university professor, said she had secured a scholarship from Deakin University in 2022, for a PhD investigating an environmentally friendly additive manufacturing process. The scholarship was extended three times but eventually cancelled in late 2023, leaving her searching for another “suitable” position.

The ordeal has come with “significant financial, physical and emotional costs”, she said. “My friends and I, along with many others, have made tremendous efforts to study in Australia.

“We are all part of the academic community [but] instead of pursuing our dreams, we are left with endless stress.”

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com