Abishek Selvakumar only discovered he couldn’t attend university when he reached Year 12.

While his peers discussed potential courses and future offers, Selvakumar learned that his the Coalition government's 'fast-track' process had meant he and his mother have been on temporary visas for over a decade, barring him from higher education.

Selvakumar, who dreams of studying construction management, had said he feels excluded, "I honestly gave up on my exams because I didn’t see the point. I was really looking forward to it. I was excited about that and getting to learn the subject I was passionate about, but I couldn’t do it.".

This situation affects many others in Australia, where children of refugees on bridging visas either face exorbitant international student fees or are prohibited from studying altogether.

Harini Rathnakumar, who fled Sri Lanka in 2013, faced similar challenges. She began a biomedical science degree as an international student with student fees of nearly $100,000 despite living in Australia since she was 10 years old. 

With help from her father and partner she was able to begin study, but in 2023 having only four months left of her degree, with Rathnakumar a year behind in payments, the university disenrolled her.

in 2020 but was forced to abandon her studies when she could no longer afford the international fees, despite nearing completion. Rathnakumar speaks of her shattered dreams and the frustration of seeing her friends move forward while she remains stuck in limbo.

"All my dreams shattered, I didn’t know what to do with my life. It’s a very hard situation watching my friends I studied with go on to finish their degrees, get better jobs and chase their dreams, while I’m stuck in this state of limbo."

The fast-track program, which processed approximately 32,000 asylum seekers, severely restricted their rights by eliminating the ability to attend visa hearings or appeal decisions. Although the Albanese government scrapped this program in July 2023, many individuals remain stuck on temporary bridging visas, living with significant uncertainty.

These visas offer limited access to education, healthcare, and employment, and provide no clear path to permanent residency or security.

Sowriya Vishmuvarman, who fled Sri Lanka in 2012 and has been on a temporary visa ever since chose to study a psychology course at Macquarie University enrolling as an international student and paiding full fees. However, just three weeks into the course, Vishmuvarman was informed by the Department of Home Affairs that her visa conditions prohibited her from studying at all. The news devastated her, leaving her unsure of her future and feeling as though her world had collapsed.

"It felt like my whole world had shattered. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, I didn’t want to go outside."