Permits for overseas students are issued for one year only, and reissued in March if satisfactory academic progress has been made. This leaves the students without any legal right to be in the country during January and February. In many cases this might be merely a technical problem, but it remains at the Minister's discretion. Compare it to the situation in Australia, where permits are issued for a three year term.

Overseas students are told their permit will not be renewed by a form letter from the Immigration Department. This letter tells them they have 14 days to leave the country. At the bottom it states that if they wish to appeal they can apply in writing to the Education Advisory Committee (EAC). No procedure for this application is stated, no indication of what should go in the letter is given, and no suggestion is made that such an application is a part of the process which is becoming more and more built in to the whole system of allowing overseas students into the country.

Overseas students do not receive a bursary and must pay full fees, and yet because of a recent decision by Frank Gill they are not allowed to work at any time except during the long vacation. This regulation even makes provision for employer penalties if they hire overseas students. Thus the government is encouraging only the rich to come, and developing a system where they will be isolated from New Zealand circumstances while they are here.

Overseas students cannot register as unemployed, get any sort of unemployment benefit, qualify for any special work scheme, or get any of the relief currently available to New Zealand students during the holidays.

Up until two weeks ago overseas students who married New Zealanders had to undergo a two year probation period before they were granted citizenship. This was designed to discourage "marriages of convenience", despite the fact that there is absolutely no evidence at all to suggest such things exist among the overseas student population. Those who did want to marry New Zealanders had to undergo an, embarassing series of questions aimed at "weeding out" the "frauds".

Cabinet has now decided (after pressure from NZUSA and the overseas student movement) to abolish this provision, but doubtless questions about authenticity will persist.

Under a new regulation (perhaps designed to counter the concession made on "marriages of convenience") overseas students will no longer be allowed to stay for their graduation ceremony. This flies in the face of years of established practice, and seems to be entirely without purpose.

Overseas students are usually allowed up to five years in the country. If they finish their degree in three years they may spend the remaining two gaining practical experience. If it takes them longer (and this is often the case due to language difficulties, racism, the strenuous workload placed upon them, etc. their working time is diminished. Thus those who may be in greater need of practical experience are least able to get it.

Overseas students are subject to continual surveillance by their home government's representatives and the New Zealand government. This is in direct contradiction to what is meant to be the democratic spirit of our society and the generally accepted idea that non-residents shall not be subject to treatment which New Zealanders are not supposed to receive.

The language test (LATOS) administered to all applicants for study permits in New Zealand is framed in such a way that many New Zealand students would probably have difficulty passing it.

Academic results, upon which overseas students must rely if they are to be admitted, are not released until late in the piece so the students have very little time to a) decide to come, and b) make all the necessary arrangements. Consequently they often arrive late and have very little time to settle in before term starts.

Decisions on overseas students' status are usually made without any consultation with the students or academics.

The decision on the numbers of overseas students to allowed in next year has already been made, although it is kept secret. Thus this important decision has been taken before many other factors concerning overseas students are universities generally are known.

Most importantly of all, this country has no written policy on Immigration. The Labour Department, which currently deals with the matter is ill-equipped and when it comes to overseas students (who suffer far more from discriminatory practices than any other migratory group) is way out of its depth.