Oz falls in Indian students' eyes

LUDHIANA: For long, many here have counted Australia as one of the countries where ���pastures are greener���. But it seems like the recent attacks on Indian students there are making people think that racial discrimination has also taken root Down Under. Number of residents asking immigration firms about Australian education has come down in recent days.
Sarvjot Singh of Wais Immigration Consultants said, ���Earlier, we used to get 10 to 15 walk-in queries regarding Australia every day. But in the last few days, we have been getting just four to five enquiries daily. Now, people who drop in, worry if the decision is right. Australia used to be the most popular place among students.���
A visitor in his office said, ���I have finished my graduation and was thinking of going to Australia. But after the recent attacks, my parents say I should go to Canada.���
Director of V2 Consultants, Davinder Singh said that in his firm���s case, ���Queries about Australia have fallen from 10-12 to one or two per day. If we suggest to our clients that they go to Australia, they flatly refuse and ask for other options.��� Anmol Kapoor, who has appeared in BCom examination and was planning to go to Australia, stated, ���My parents have said they cannot send me and risk my life.���
Amarjeet Kaur of Royal Institute in Model Town extension, which is an immigration agency, said, ���Life has become really tough in Australia. These days, we get only one or two queries about that country, that too from nearby villages, where people might not know what is happening there. Otherwise, people are showing a preference for other countries.���