Amazulu

Yep MM very much did V. It got to a stage, that when it came to forming groups for projects, English speakers would seek each other out to form teams and avoid having to work with Asian students. It's not a racial thing either. Where I studied specialises in energy and mining economics and business - one of the few places in the world where this kind of thing is available - so it attracted a lot of overseas students. I studied with many guys from Africa for instance - mainly from Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia. Without exception, their English standard was first rate and it was a pleasure studying with them. Also students from places like Malaysia and Singapore had excellent English. The problem was with people from places like China, Indonesia, Thailand - and to a lesser degree from South America. Before I cottoned on, I did an assignment with a team from China, Pakistan and Uruguay. It was a tough project in energy economics - and I basically had to do most of it by myself. It was a lot of work! I learnt my lesson

abner

That's an insanely inefficient process design. Contrast it to Bill Gates' preferred approach: staple a H1-B visa to every foreign student's US engineering degree.

Unless you have some other agenda you've yet to mention...

Amazulu

Actually that may work - the H1-B is a temporary, not PR, visa - so staple a 457 (or whatever it's called now) to every foreign student's Australian engineering degree. All the rest can go home, work for 5 years and then apply for PR. It's great that you agree with me

I have no other agenda but what 'agenda' did you have in mind?

abner

Actually, both lead to permanent status fairly readily, with continued employment (not necessarily with the same employer) and no criminal record.
So in Australia a 457, while formally temporary, provides a well-trodden path to PR and citizenship, in the normal course of events. In the US, there are more potential branches to the H1-B path (and more hassles if there's a falling out with the original US employer), but the end result is typically the same.

Amazulu

Engineers only right - as per Billy Gates?

Works for me

abner

Nah, the iron ring would only have limited my thinking and held me back.

Oh, you mean in general? Nah the iron ring is too limiting and would only hold each country back.

Amazulu

So Billy Gates is talking shite (as usual)

Thought so

the troubadour

That's the deal. Cough up the coin with every possibility to stay on afterwards. The Hairdresser and Chef scams exposed the ideocracy of the system, to say the least. It's not worse, never said it was, more part and parcel of what some may say at best a questionable system.

the troubadour

Not necessary for the benefit of Australia by any means. Certain vested interests that push for high immigration numbers certainly. The Big Growth lobby , which oddly enough take on board all main political parties. Whatever happened to the sensible immigration numbers of late last century?

Beoz

Low immigration numbers were never going to supply the demand for large government coffers, largely demanded by those wanting the easier ride. You can't have it both ways.

the troubadour

Normal immigration numbers is what I refer to, as over recent decades, not the few years when numbers severely dipped. Easy ride? Not quite. Turbo boosting the population through immigration, while serving the vested interests of the financial and real estate interests, does nothing for the rest of the population, apart from lowering life quality.