I am a practicing Christian, I immigrated to Australia 40 years ago, and would like to invite your opinion.

An Indian, young couple approached me after mass and ask if I could help them find work.
She had just started a 2-year course in human services. Her English was just ordinary.
He had done a course for hotel managers in India and his English was also just ordinary.
He told me that he could stay in Australia for the duration of his wife’s student visa and that he was allowed to find a job.
They confirmed that they were hoping to get a permanent residency visa.

My observations-
· They thought that they could jump the queue of emigrants by getting in on a student visa.
· Someone had fed them a story in return for a fee.
· This kind of students disguised as door-to-door sales men and call centre operators regularly annoy me with uninvited calls at my phone or door.
· They all seem to be prepared to work hard and to be desperate for an additional source of income.
· A small part of their group has demonstrated in the streets of Melbourne and Sydney, claiming that they are discriminated against and that they are a target of racial violence.
· Their demonstrations and lack of action by our government against rogue educational institutes has given us very negative publicity in India.
· I myself am Eurasian and born in the far East, but I find it impossible to separate the Indians coming from India from the Indians coming from Shri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia or Fiji.
· I did try to help a similar couple from Nepal, but the husband claimed to know better, so I withdrew.They are now going back to Nepal.

My question
· Would it be unethical to disregard their request for help?

I don't think that ethics comes into it at all.

I'm wondering how they expected you to help them. Do you have relevant employment, and are you in a powerful position?
We have many Indians and other Asians at my Catholic Church, and without them the church would be half empty. They contribute a lot through their fantastic choirs. I have an Indian doctor and I find them a very respectable clean living addition to our culture. I have met Indian women in my employment in childcare who are hoping to gain permanent residency, but none has ever asked me to help them.

I don't really understand the relevance of most of your dot points but ask yourself this question; how is it ethical to not help someone who wants to find work?

It seems obvious that you should help them if you think you can. As Christine said, I don't know how you plan on helping them, but if you can help them find work, why wouldn't you?

The operations of the government immigration system are beyond your control and are not really relevant to the question.

My observations-
· They thought that they could jump the queue of emigrants by getting in on a student visa.
A. As long as they're following the rules I don't see this as an issue.

· Someone had fed them a story in return for a fee.
A. Probably. In the U.S., we have thousands of lawyers who prey on immigrants.

· This kind of students disguised as door-to-door sales men and call centre operators regularly annoy me with uninvited calls at my phone or door.
A. Irrelevant. Whether they are Indian or Russian or Australian they would be equally irritating.

· They all seem to be prepared to work hard and to be desperate for an additional source of income.
A. I think that's great. In the U.S. we have a lot of U.S. born citizens who won't work.

· A small part of their group has demonstrated in the streets of Melbourne and Sydney, claiming that they are discriminated against and that they are a target of racial violence.
A. Irrelevant. The individual is not responsible for the sins of a few others except for bigots.

· Their demonstrations and lack of action by our government against rogue educational institutes has given us very negative publicity in India.
A. Irrelevant.

· I myself am Eurasian and born in the far East, but I find it impossible to separate the Indians coming from India from the Indians coming from Shri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia or Fiji.
A. Irrelevant other than you might have some insight into the process and problems of immigrating.

· I did try to help a similar couple from Nepal, but the husband claimed to know better, so I withdrew.They are now going back to Nepal.
A. Also irrelevant.

I don't find helping or not helping to be an ethical issue in itself. I help some and don't help others. Sometimes my decision is simply based on what's going on in my life. If I'm busy, my time to help is limited. Sometimes it depends on money. If money's tight, I help less. Sometimes my decision is based on a like or dislike of the person. I would say I see ethical issues in specific decisions to help or not help but in general I don't.

Thank you all for your comments.
I learned a lot from them.

As others have said, your post lists quite a few irrelevant points, but leaves out the most relevant point. Are you in any position to help them?

As a practising Christian, you really shouldn’t have to ask about the ethics of this. If you love them, and you can help them, then of course you’ll help them.

It would be different if they were asking you to help them by harming somebody else – by lying, by stealing, whatever. But all they’re doing is asking you to help them find work, and there seems to be nothing improper about that. If you know of any opportunities they could pursue, or have any leads or contacts they could follow, why wouldn’t you point them in the right direction?