ਸਾਹਿਲ ਨੇ ਐੱਸ ਬੀ ਐੱਸ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਨੂੰ ਦੱਸਿਆ, "ਇੰਨੇ ਸਾਲ ਕਾਲਜ ਦੀ ਫੀਸ ਵੀ ਭਰੀ, ਟੈਕਸ ਵੀ ਦਿੱਤਾ, ਕਮਾਈ ਕਰਕੇ ਖਰਚੇ ਵੀ ਕੀਤੇ, ਪਰ ਹਾਲਾਂ ਵੀ ਕੁਝ ਪੱਲੇ ਨਹੀਂ ਪਿਆ."
ਸਾਹਿਲ ਨੇ ੨ ਸਾਲ ਕੰਮਰਸ਼ਲ ਕੁੱਕਰੀ ਦਾ ਕੋਰਸ ਕਰਕੇ ਜਦ ੨੦੧੦ ਵਿਚ ਪੀ ਆਰ ਦੀ ਅਰਜ਼ੀ ਪਾਣੀ ਚਾਹੀ, ਤਾਂ ਪਤਾ ਚੱਲਿਆ ਉਸਦਾ ਕੋਰਸ ਹੁਣ ਲਿਸਟ ਤੋਂ ਹਟ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ.
ਫੇਰ ਉਸਨੇ ੨ ਸਾਲ ਲਈ ਬਿਜ਼ਨੈੱਸ ਮੈਨਜਮੈਂਟ ਦਾ ਕੋਰਸ ਕੀਤਾ, ਉਪਰੰਤ ਮੈਨੇਜਰ ਵਜੋਂ ਨੌਕਰੀ ਕੀਤੀ. ਉਸ ਵੇਹਲੇ, ੨ ਸਾਲ 457 ਵੀਜ਼ਾ ਤੇ ਕੰਮ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਪੱਕਾ ਕਰ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਸੀ, ਪਰ ਜਦ ੨੦੧੪ ਵਿਚ ਸਾਹਿਲ ਦੀ ਵਾਰੀ ਆਈ, ਤਾਂ ਕ਼ਾਨੂਨ ਬਦਲ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਗਿਆ.
"ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਈਐਲਟਸ ਦੇ ਸਿਰਫ ੫ ਬੈੰਡ ਦੀ ਲੋੜ ਸੀ, ਪਰ 2014 ਵਿਚ ਇਸਨੂੰ ੬ ਬੈੰਡ ਕਰ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਗਿਆ."
"ਆਖਿਰਕਾਰ ਮੈਂ ਨਵੰਬਰ ੨੦੧੬ ਵਿਚ ਪੀ ਆਰ ਦੀ ਅੱਪਲੀਕੈਸ਼ਨ ਪਾਈ - ਹੁਣ ਡੇਢ ਸਾਲ ਹੋ ਚੱਲਿਆ ਹੈ, ਕੋਈ ਖ਼ਬਰ ਨਹੀਂ."
Many migrants on temporary visas are staring at an uncertain future, despite having spent years chasing their Australian dream, due to “frequently changing” migration rules.
Indian migrant Sahil Sharma was 21 when he came to Australia in 2008 as an international student. He says his life at that time felt like a train that was chugging on smoothly.
But a decade of grappling with visa issues and still no certainty about whether he can become an Australian permanent resident, he says his life is now like a “burning train”.
Mr Sharma, currently living in Queensland's Sunshine Coast, is one of the many migrants staring at an uncertain future with their fate hanging in balance because of changes in the migration rules which they say are “frequent” and are often announced without prior notice.
When he finished his two-year commercial cookery course in 2010, Mr Sharma was told that the occupation was no longer available for permanent residency.
“I went to a lawyer to apply for my PR. I was told this course had been removed from the list [Skilled Occupation List].
“I was then advised to study business management. By the time I finished that, it had been four years since I arrived in Australia. I then applied for a 457 visa,” Mr Sharma tells SBS Punjabi.
He worked for two years as a manager at a restaurant while holding a 457 visa. When he became eligible to apply for permanent residency, the English language proficiency requirement was changed.
“I had five bands in each module of IELTS and the requirement was lifted to 6 bands. It took me four-five months to get that score. But by that time, my employer shut down his business”.
Mr Sharma found another employer and applied for an employer-sponsored visa in November 2016 and has been awaiting a decision on his application ever since.
“When I made the application, the waiting period was 9 months, then it was increased to 11 months. The rules keep changing frequently. And the last time I checked the Home Affairs’ [Department of Home Affairs] just a couple of days ago, they have updated the standard processing time for this visa to 21 months,” he says.
After his 457 visa expired in December 2016, he was granted a bridging visa in Australia.
Mr Sharma says while his visa application is under process, his and his family’s lives are hanging in balance.
“We can’t travel to India since I am on a bridging visa. My daughter was born in India and she was just six months old when we brought her here and we haven’t been back since then.
“We can’t get a house of our own, I can’t change my job, even though I am happy where I am working right now, but one would like to have more opportunities,” he says.
“We don’t get any rebates in childcare payments. My daughter goes to kindy and the weekly payment there is $400, which comes out of my pocket.
“I was 22 when I came to Australia and now I am 32 and I am still grappling with issues to get my PR. We are just waiting and waiting and waiting. We just can't make any future plans."
"Why doesn’t the government realise that if we grow, our contribution to the country will also grow. We are already contributing, we paid our fees, we are working and we are paying taxes.”
