Years on edge, no cigar: the lot of foreign doctoral applicants

When Iman Salamatian applied for a visa to take up his PhD scholarship at the Australian National University (ANU), he had no idea of the ordeal awaiting him.

Dr Salamatian, a veterinarian and researcher educated in his native Iran, intended to study immune responses to influenza A viruses – the causes of many seasonal epidemics, from mild respiratory ailments to deadly bird flus and the 1918 pandemic.

Specifically, his research would explore the role of inflammasomes: complexes of proteins that initiate processes to kill infected cells and repair tissues. Overactive inflammasomes are implicated in a myriad of conditions from gout and arthritis to kidney, liver, cardiovascular, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

“Understanding…the role of inflammasomes in mediating the balance between protective and detrimental immune responses can lead to novel therapeutic interventions,” he told Times Higher Education. “This research is not only vital for developing better treatments and vaccines for influenza but also for managing future pandemics [like] Covid-19, given the similarities.”

Unfortunately, Dr Salamatian was among hundreds of Iranian doctoral candidates subjected to protracted delays – over three years, in some cases – as Australian border authorities considered their visa applications.

“As far as I know, this long processing time is caused by character assessments undertaken by agencies such as [Australian Security Intelligence Organisation] Asio, which have no deadlines,” he explained, in a submission to the Australian government’s migration review almost a year later. “I…fear losing my scholarship and admission.”

The fear proved justified a few months ago, when ANU asked Dr Salamatian to withdraw his candidacy. “I was totally unwilling,” he told THE. “I was sure my visa would be finalised soon. I explained that visa processing delays are…outside of my control.”

Shortly afterwards, he said, the Department of Home Affairs informed him that his visa assessment had been finalised, but it needed an updated confirmation of his now expired ANU enrolment. The university refused to renew his place.

THE understands that ANU administrators, fearful of losing the funds earmarked for Dr Salamatian’s scholarship, had redirected the money to another candidate. The university seldom accepts foreign PhD students who lack funds to cover their living costs, wary of exacerbating the considerable stress of doctoral study.

A spokeswoman said ANU had “measures in place” to help students experiencing visa delays, including deferral options, and had “made representations” to the government on behalf of those affected.

“But the university also has a responsibility to manage our scholarship budget by ensuring each scholarship is taken up and used in the period for which it is offered,” she said. “The time frame for taking up a scholarship offer can vary. Other factors [include] caps on the number of students an academic can supervise at any one time.”

Dr Salamatian said his visa approval would lapse unless ANU relented, or another Australian university offered him a PhD place within a few months. He estimated that 20 to 30 Iranian doctoral candidates every year were asked to update their enrolment details after waiting a year or more for their visas to be approved.

About half of them subsequently lost their scholarships and abandoned plans to study in Australia, he said. Many other applicants were already studying in Europe or North America by the time they received word that their Australian visas had been approved.

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com