'The problem usually starts the moment a prospective student in India goes to a counsellor or education agent for admission. Most of these education agents have mushroomed in whole of India. They are neither authorized nor regularized,' said Ahlawat.

'Most of these agents know little about Australian life, its laws on entitlement to work and about the ratings of the institutes in which they get the students enrolled. Sometimes these agents recommend such institutes to students which are not up to the expectations of the student,' said Ahlawat.

'The prospective students are totally kept in dark by these agents. These agents usually recommend keeping in mind the kickbacks that they receive from these institutes. They do not care about the welfare of the student,' the NRI said.

'Under these circumstances, a student lands up in a different continent without having proper information and knowledge to settle there, and ends up residing in dubious and wrong places infested with antisocial or criminal elements,' he said.