COMMENT | A friend’s son overstayed his student visa in Australia. What could he do? What if … and so forth, as any parent would ask. He has few options, I said. When his visa expires, well, it expires.

My friend’s son is among the thousands of Malaysian overstayers - officially termed “unlawful non-citizens”. If caught, they can be detained and deported at their own expense.

The unintended consequences? They have made it harder for genuine travellers to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA).

News of friends having their ETA applications rejected (Subclass 600 and 601) despite having submitted the supporting documents are not new. Some have burnt their tickets. Some have missed visiting families.

Victimised? Yes, on the outset. And annoyingly so when the...