Turning 18 marks the start of university for many young people but for Abi Selvakumar, it's just another dream hindered by visa issues that plagued his childhood.
"It's disheartening to see our peers pursuing higher education while we are left behind," he said.
Mr Selvakumar was among a group who attended an address in Parliament House on Wednesday and joined MPs calling for the Labor government to support refugees caught in the Fast Track system.
Independent Senator David Pocock criticised the party's lack of support for the 9000 "people who want to contribute in communities".
"Many don't have study rights, work rights, or they have no certainty around their future. The government needs to come through on this and give them certainty," he told reporters.
The assessment scheme was established by the former coalition government in order to deal with the tens of thousands of asylum seekers who arrived by boat between 2012 and 2014.
The widely criticised fast-track policy system restricted the types of visas people could access.
New legislation by the Albanese government will abolish the Fast Track process to make way for a new review tribunal.
A Labor announcement in February 2023 allowed roughly 19,000 people who had been granted Temporary Protection Visas or Safe Haven Enterprise Visas through the Fast Track system to apply for a permanent visa.
This, however, did not address 9,000 people who were denied protection visas in the past decade or are still waiting for a decision.
Fleeing from Sri Lanka at the age of seven with his single mother in 2013, more than a decade later Mr Selvakumar's rejection under the Fast Track system continues to limit his opportunities to pursue work and studies
"As the only child in a single-parent household, I share the burden of responsibility for providing for my mother, yet feel powerless due to our circumstances," he said.
Independent MP Allegra Spender said it was "criminal" to hear "young people say they can't move on" to the next stage in their education.
"I don't understand why - if people are here and held up by the system - we don't let them work and study right now," she said.
"They want to contribute. They want to build their skills and we are locking them out.
"The Fast Track visa system is neither fair nor fast and (Labor) has admitted this - it voted against it at the time (of creation)."
The Administrative Review Tribunal Bill 2024 is being proposed as a replacement by the Albanese government.
Australian Associated Press
