At The PIE Live Asia Pacific 2026, Australian universities and policymakers were advised to reassess their engagement with Pakistan, with speakers cautioning the nation is frequently seen through the lens of visa risk instead of its strategic value.
Their comments come in the middle of Australia’s ongoing overhaul of its worldwide education system, which has actually seen tighter integrity measures, greater visa charges and increased analysis of student applications.
During another session at PIE Live Asia Pacific, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) protected the reforms as a long-lasting “quality correction”. The Pakistan panel argued the resulting unpredictability was already being felt in one of Australia’s fastest-growing trainee markets.
Previously this year, The PIE News reported that Pakistan tape-recorded an offshore college visa refusal rate of 37% between January and March 2026– lower than Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, however higher than a lot of East and Southeast Asian markets– contributing to sector issues over the consistency of visa decision-making.
For the panellists, nevertheless, the conversation extended well beyond visa data. With a population of 260 million, 59% under 30, a literacy rate of 63% and around 114,000 trainees studying abroad each year, Pakistan represents one of the world’s biggest outbound student markets, they argued.
“We are a market that can not be disregarded. We will not be ignored,” said Ansab Mahmood, CEO of Adiuvo Professional Global.
“And if Australia won’t come to us, then we’ll pertain to Australia and make them realise how essential we are for the marketplace.”
Comparable views were echoed by fellow panellists Asad Malik, CEO of MA Consultants; Muhammad Azeem Qasim, creator and CEO of Edify Group of Companies; and Syed Danish Ali Zaidi, CEO of D’Educationist.
Azeem pointed to Pakistan’s position as one of the world’s largest Cambridge International markets, with around 80,000 examinations taken annually, as evidence of its dedication to global education.
Australia has to stop seasonal recruitment(from Pakistan)and begin building long-term relationships Muhammad Azeem Qasim, Edify Group of Companies
While Australia continues to rank highly amongst Pakistani students, the panel argued that the way prospective students examine locations has fundamentally altered.
“The trainees these days are looking at 3 significant things– a smooth procedure, ranking of the institutions and career results,” stated Malik.
“The competitors is so high. Australia can be far better than the location it presently is due to the fact that of the unexpected hurdles that have been created, particularly for the South Asian market.”
Zaidi said conversations with students and their families had also developed substantially over current years.
“They do not inquire about the costs,” he said. “They ask about the prospects in future life. They ask about roi. They ask how inviting the nation is.”
Much of the discussion focused on the growing intricacy of Australia’s current student visa procedure.
“I believe no one knows what’s happening,” Mahmood stated. “The universities all have different requirements. Even if the student goes through a prolonged Genuine Student (GS) process, taking 3, 4 or perhaps 5 months, it still doesn’t ensure that they will get the visa.”
Mahmood said many students still waited months in spite of paying tuition deposits, medical insurance and Australia’s AUD$ 2,500 visa application cost.
“There was a time when Australia was in the top three destinations,” he added. “Now we have to persuade the trainee that they must get Australia, and even we are not convinced when we’re attempting to state that.”
Zaidi argued confusion began before visa applications reached the DHA, with universities asking for various monetary evidence under the exact same GS framework.
“If I’m applying to one university they request for 3 months’ bank declarations, another requests for one month,” he stated. “Students use to two or three universities and right away end up being baffled because every organization is requesting something various.”
The issues are not distinct to Australia. Pakistani students have actually also dealt with increased examination in the UK, where they tape-recorded among the greatest student visa refusal rates over the past year and produced the biggest share of visa cost earnings from turned down applications.
Azeem argued that visa policy must focus on problematic behaviour instead of entire citizenships.
“Policies ought to target the issues, the threat– not the nationalities,” he said.
He maintained Pakistan was not amongst the leading nations for asylum claims, had high completion rates, which concerns such as service provider switching were not unique to Pakistani trainees.
“Visa hopping is not the problem of Pakistani trainees,” he said. “It is the issue of policy, not the students.”
Zaidi echoed those concerns, cautioning that broad labels risked harmful Australia’s credibility among future generations of students.
“2 hundred and sixty million people can not be labelled as high risk,” he said. “We need to recognize the problems and involve the stakeholders before making these choices.”
Regardless of their criticisms, the panel consistently stressed that Australia stayed among the world’s leading education destinations and that reconstructing self-confidence was completely possible.
Mahmood indicated Murdoch University as an example of an organization investing in local knowledge rather than relying exclusively on compliance systems.
“They have actually determined the potential of the marketplace,” he said. “You require individuals on the ground who comprehend the system and can determine real students.”
Zaidi advised Australian organizations to build deeper, long-lasting partnerships with trusted education representatives and universities in Pakistan instead of treating recruitment as a transactional exercise.
“Until you build relied on relationships with organizations and qualified agents in Pakistan, you will continue facing these challenges,” he said.
Azeem similarly got in touch with Australia to move beyond what he referred to as “seasonal recruitment” and rather invest in long-term engagement with the market.
“The UK took some time to develop a long-term relationship with Pakistan,” he stated. “Australia needs to stop seasonal recruitment and start constructing long-lasting relationships.”
Malik argued Australia’s academic credibility had actually never ever been the issue. Rather, rebuilding confidence depended on a more predictable and transparent system.
“Australia is absolutely appropriate today,” he said.
“However currently it is not competitive. If these barriers are decreased, Australia will become competitive again. It won’t just benefit universities financially– it will benefit both countries through the dazzling minds that Pakistan needs to use.”