Saudi students in Australia seek long-term visas

The Australian government should provide long-term visas for Saudi students studying in that country.
This was one of the proposals raised by the Saudi Students Association at a meeting in Brisbane recently with Neil Hawkins, Australia’s ambassador in Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi students want the visa to cover the period they spend in the country learning English. They also want better communication on the visa process with the Australian foreign affairs department.
The students also raised a number of other issues including the high cost of childcare, overall inflation and living expenses. Hawkins promised to convey the students’ needs to the concerned agencies in the Australian government.
Hawkins praised the work of the association in representing the needs of Saudi students since 2005. He also commended the students for their behavior and positive interaction with Australian citizens, and helping to introduce the country to Saudi culture through the local media.
Hawkins said he was happy to meet the association’s members and its leader, Thamer Batheem, a PhD student at Queensland University of Technology. He said he hoped to meet Saudi government officials at the G20 Summit in Brisbane next year.