Australia is talking about migration – but what do people at the centre of the debate have to say?

Shamsullah Sadey came to Australia from Afghanistan. The year 12 student, who hopes to become a neurosurgeon, feels increasingly uncertain about his future amid the immigration debate. Photograph: Christopher Hopkins/The Guardian

When Shamsullah Sadey, 19, fled Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and arrived in Australia with his family in 2024, he brought with him dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon.

But the high school student is feeling increasingly “uncertain” about his future. He says the recent debate about migration means for “the first time I’ve genuinely felt unwelcome” in Australia.