Prof Deep Saini, born in India's Punjab state came to Canberra via Toronto where he served as Vice-President of the University of Toronto. Since 1982, he watched Canada develop from a place where the Indian community used to face racism to a country that in 2017 saw turban-wearing Sikh Jagmeet Singh elected as the leader of a major political party.
Comparing Canada and Australia, Prof. Saini says, "A lot of change has happened in Canada, so the colour, race and language lines have become very blurred and I can see this is coming to Australia, to be honest - I think it’s a matter of time."
After completing his undergraduate and master’s degrees at the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, he won an Australian Government scholarship to complete his doctorate in plant physiology at the University of Adelaide.
The University of Canberra is one of the most significant educational centres in country's capital city. The university had 17,071 students in 2016, 3872 of them from overseas.
International students make up more than one-third of university students in Australia, with most coming from China, India and Nepal.
Prof. Saini advised international students to keep their motive very clear, which is study. Though he said voices coming to curb the immigration has no spine. A country like Australia needs the migrant, and the economy is much dependent on skilled immigrants.
Click on the player at the top to listen to Mr Saini's interview with SBS Punjabi.
