Australia dream gone wrong: Drugs, thefts, depression, jail — what 9 Punjab deportees told police

From confessing to how they started consuming drugs after “getting depressed due to visa extension rejection” to matrimonial disputes with their partners, which affected their spouse visa, the deportees have narrated how their Australian dream ended on the other side of the law.

Of the nine deported Punjabis, except one woman who “overstayed” and committed visa norms violations, all eight men faced serious criminal charges in Australia, including stalking a child, possessing drugs, assaulting the police, etc.

All nine deportees in their statements recorded with the Punjab Police’s NRI affairs wing, late on Thursday, have also said that they “went to Australia on their own will, and they do not want any legal action against the travel/immigration agent who sent them”. The deportees have also stated that they now wish to rebuild their lives in Punjab.

Here’s what the nine deportees have said in their statements:

Deportee 1 (Age: 41):

“Had matrimonial dispute, booked for stalking a child”

(Charges: stalking, assaulting police officer, intimidation, unlawful assault)

He told the police that his elder brother lives in Australia. So, he also went there on a study visa in 2008 and started working at a furniture store in Melbourne, along with studying. He married an Australian citizen in 2016, and the couple had two children. They shifted to Sydney in 2021 and eventually got divorced in 2023.

“I had a matrimonial dispute with my wife. Both kids live with their mother. I was booked for stalking a 10-year-old child. The Australian Police also charged me for several other offences, including a clash with a local and assault on a cop. I was convicted and jailed. I have been living in a detention centre since 2025. I now want to work hard and live at my home in Punjab,” he said.

Deportee 2 (Age 36):

“Had a dispute with brother, started committing thefts”

(Charges: Possessing drugs (methylamphetamine), multiple thefts from shops, failing bail and acting prejudicially to security)

He told the police that he was a trader and his father a farmer. “My elder brother lived in Australia. So, I also went in 2014 on a study visa, which ended in 2017,” he said.

He said he applied for a ‘protection visa’, which he got and kept extending. “But soon I had a dispute with my brother and started living separately. I was booked in multiple theft cases by 2025 and was jailed for 2-3 months. In August 2025, my ‘bridge visa’ also expired and the police re-arrested me. I spent 7-8 months at the detention centre before being deported,” he told the police.

Deportee 3 (Age: 34):

“Visa rejected, got hooked to drugs”

(Charges: Possessing prohibited drugs (methamphetamine and heroin), stealing and breach of bail)

He said that his father is a farmer. He went to Australia in 2014 to pursue an MBA via a Mohali-based agent. His study visa was for 2 years, which he kept extending till August 2025. However, when he again applied for an extension, it was rejected, and he “overstayed”.

“I started consuming drugs in Australia. The police confiscated drugs from me, and I was arrested. I was booked for theft, but the charges were not proved. I was sent to the detention centre in December 2025. Now I will do farming with my father back home,” he said to the police.

Deportee 4 (Age: 33):

“Went into depression after visa rejected, started drugs”

(Charges: Carrying offensive weapon, knife, damaging property, failing alcohol test, driving under suspension, possessing drug equipment, failing bail)

He has told the police that before moving to Australia, he had done an ITI course in motor mechanics. He belongs to a landless family, and his father was a truck driver. Both of his sisters are settled in Australia, so he also moved in 2016 on a tourist visa. He started living in Adelaide and applied for a study visa, but it was rejected. He was kept in a detention centre for six months and let go after he got a ‘Bridge Visa’ (a temporary visa allowing lawful stay while awaiting a decision on a visa application after a current visa expires).

“I went into depression as my visa was not being approved, and some people also attacked me in 2019. I started taking drugs and liquor. From 2020 to 2023, I was booked for possessing drugs, keeping weapons, and driving without a licence. I spent 2-3 months in jail. In 2024, I was again arrested by the Australian Border Force and sent to the detention centre where I lived for two years. I will now work with my family,” he said.

Deportee 5 (Age: 31):

“Visa extension rejected, overstayed, started drugs”

(Charges: Possessing cannabis, drug paraphernalia, trespass, offer to supply methylamphetamine and possessing stolen property)

He said that he went to Perth on a study visa to pursue higher studies in 2014. He went via an Amritsar-based travel agent. After his visa expired in 2021, he applied for an extension, but it was rejected. “I overstayed. I got stressed and started taking drugs. I was charged with fraud, theft, and possession of drugs. I was arrested and taken to the detention centre where I stayed for three years,” he stated.

Deportee 6 (Age: 35):

“Wife died, son in Australia; served jail term for several offences”

(Charges: Using false documents, obtaining property by deception, stealing goods, vehicle theft, burglary)

He said he went to Australia in 2009 after passing Class 12. He went on a study visa to pursue a course and started living in Melbourne, got married, and has an 11-year-old son. However, his wife died. Back home, his mother also died, and the whereabouts of his father are unknown.

“I served a jail term in Australia for several offences such as theft, using forged documents, vehicle theft, etc. All charges ended in 2025. I was shifted to the detention centre after I came out of jail in November 2025. I appealed for visa extension as there’s no one to take care of my son, but it was rejected by the Australian Home Affairs department. Now I will work hard back home in Punjab,” he said.

Deportee 7 (Age: 30):

“Wife cleared IELTS, got study visa but we got divorced”

(Charges: Contravening police directions, common assault and domestic violence)

He said that he went to Australia after clearing Class 10. He worked as a driver in India and got married in 2018. His sister is an Australian citizen, and she applied for a tourist visa for the couple. “We went there in 2019. I started working there as a truck driver, and my wife worked at a restaurant. My wife had cleared IELTS, so we applied for a study visa, which was granted. In 2022, I had a dispute with my wife, so she filed a domestic violence case against me. My visa got over. I applied for a protection visa, but my file was declared invalid. We got divorced in 2024. I was shifted to a detention centre and deported. Now I want to work hard,” he said.

Deportee 8 (Age: 30):

“Got married to the woman who had cleared IELTS, got divorced, started drugs”

(Charges: Stealing, breach of bail, trespass, fraud, giving false details to police, drug possession (meth), possessing stolen property)

A farmer, he did an IIT diploma and got married in 2018. He said his fiancée had cleared IELTS, so the marriage was solemnised on the condition that his family would bear the entire expense of travelling to Australia, and she would take him abroad on a spouse visa. After marriage, his wife reached Australia in November 2018, and he also reached Australia in February 2019. The couple had a daughter, but soon disputes started over house expenses. The couple separated in 2023.

“I was left alone. I went into depression and started taking drugs. I was booked in several cases, which were later dropped. After our divorce, my spouse visa ended, and I was transferred to a detention centre in 2025. I will now do farming in my village,” he said.

Deportee 9 (Age: 45):

Woman deportee with no criminal charge but overstayed after visa expired

She said she had gone to Australia in 2008 via an agent on a study visa to pursue a hospitality management course. She applied for a refugee visa in 2017, but it was rejected in 2022. “I got to know about it in 2025. I was shifted to a detention centre for one year. I don’t want any legal action against anyone now,” she said.