Hyderabad: New Zealand which used to be on the top five list of destinations for higher studies overseas for students from Hyderabad, is not on the priority list any more. Students are looking for alternative countries after the fiasco involving Indian students towards the end of 2015, after which New Zealand officials have tightened the procedures. The United States has always been the number one destination for students from Telugu states, with Australia, Canada, England and New Zealand the next preferred choices. According to overseas consultants, an easier process for getting admission and visas as well as reasonable fee structures when compared to other countries, prompted students to prefer New Zealand.
“Students, who did not have much English proficiency, as well as others with fraudulent financial documents, were process-sed by consultants, most of them from Hyderabad, for visa applications. However, after these students could not pay the fees on time in the second semester, colleges did a background check and the fraud was exposed. Now, New Zealand authorities have tightened the visa process and are scrutinising applications very carefully, particularly those that come from Hyderabad, Punjab and Gujarat, since these states were at the centre of that controversy,” Inthiyaz Bannuru from AECC Global consultancy said.
“Earlier we used to get 50 enquires per month, but at present not even five students per month are seeking information to study in New Zealand,” he added. However, the situation is not the same throughout India. Students from other states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, Delhi etc are going ‘Down Under’ like before and there is not much change.
Sai Kalyan, an engineering student from the city, said that earlier Australia and New Zealand used to interest students, but now they are exploring study opportunities only in Australia. Meanwhile, T.Raghuram, who is a certified agent, recognised by Immigration New Zealand, stated that the authorities have blacklisted more than 250 consultants after the fraudulent documents fiasco.
But the scenario is not entirely bleak. “The doors are always open for meritorious students to pursue higher education opportunities in New Zealand. Those with a good academic record and financial security or who avail of educational loans do not have any problems in getting visas," he concluded.
