Sunil Kaushal: Waitakere Indian Association President on the high student visa rejection rate for Indian applicants

There's concerns the India-New Zealand relationship could be strained by the high number of student visa rejections.

Immigration NZ figures show applications between October 1 2023 and May 6 2024 for student visas by Indian nationals had an approval rate of 47 percent.

The Immigration Minister has claimed it's not 'blanked geographic discrimination', but rather concern surrounding more high-risk applicants out of India.

Waitakere Indian Association President Sunil Kaushal doesn't believe this argument. 

"India is a diverse land, we know that there are many talented and skilled people out there who want to further their education - and coming to New Zealand is a great opportunity for that." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Heather due for CELA ten past four nine two nine twos,
the text number standard text fees applying. Brook van Dalden's
obviously the minister who's called this inquiry. We'll have a
little chat to her just get exact, exact idea of
the scope when she's with us after five o'clock. Now,
the New Zealand India relationship was being tested by a
familiar issue, which is the huge number of student visa rejections.

(00:21):
Stats from Immigration show that between October last year and
this May that's just gone, Indian student visa applications only
got approved forty seven percent of the time. That compares
to an approval rate of eighty nine percent for Chinese students.
The Immigration Minister says it's not blanked geographic discrimination, but
rather than just more high risk applications from Indian applicants.

(00:41):
So Nil Koschel is the president of the White Tarkti
Indian Association and with us. Now, hey, Sir neil Hi,
do you buy the argument it's just that there are
more high risk candidates coming out of India.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
No, I don't buy that argument at all. India is
a diverse land and you know, we know that there
are very talented and skilled people out there who want
to further their education and coming to New Zealand is
a great opportunity for us economically also and from a
tourism point of view. I do agree that we need

(01:13):
to be cautious as in who we let in with
the qualification that they are seeking for rather than the
law level pre forward. And we don't want dodgy students
coming in, but real interested students. And I don't buy
any argument that it's a high risk country. I mean
there are other countries also where we are getting students from.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
If you do not believe the argument, then what do
you think is really going on here?

Speaker 2 (01:40):
I think they're just being very cautious as to who
they're let in and from what parts of India.

Speaker 1 (01:48):
Why are they being so cautious with India and for example,
not with China.

Speaker 2 (01:54):
I think it's there are other things to play there.
It could be geopolitical, it could be what sort of
they've probably seen. I mean, our can'ts speak for immigration.
But their argument that because of the lack of funds
or the funds not being verified, I actually, in my
previous role, introduced the funds transfer Scheme, which was implemented

(02:17):
in India, in China, in Philippines and other countries in
partnership with immigration, and we were there to verify that
there is the amount needed to come to New Zealand.
Now we cannot tell people where you should get money
from their argument that oh, it's from another institution, etc.

(02:37):
In New Zealand, we pay, We pay a student loan,
parents help their families or their kids go into college.
People go overseas they can work there. So why can't
we have the same barometer for every place, for every
student coming from different nations. I mean, why have different
standards there? That's just not acceptable And who is losing

(02:59):
out not only the students but also in New Zealand economy,
New Zealand institutions, we are losing our Australia as Australia
has been very careful because they don't have enough rental
places there. So you know it's our head time.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
But what are you hearing in terms of how much
of a strain this is putting on the relationship between
India and New Zealand, which is so important to us
at the moment because we want an FTA.

Speaker 2 (03:23):
I completely agree with you heither on there, because India.
When the Indian Foreign Master was here, he raised it up.
India wants mobility, not just with New Zealand but throughout
the world. They say that, you know, usually allow our
people to travel to work, to for tourism, etc. And
if New Zealand keeps doing this, it will definitely put

(03:45):
us train because that's one of their requirements from their side.

Speaker 1 (03:49):
So Neil, thank you. I appreciate that. S Neil Koschel,
who's the president of the White Targeting Indian Association. For
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