Why is Australian government imposing strict visa restrictions on students from five Indian states?

Australia: Indian students have been looking at Australia as another alternative after the Donald Trump administration in the US imposed strict visa rules.

However, the Australian administration is also going hard on Indian students, especially in five states.

It appears that Indian students globally are now facing tough situations in several countries, including the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

This is a part of the larger congregation that is being done by the Australian government with regard to its visa crackdown.

Australian universities including Federation University, Western Sydney University, Victoria University, and Southern Cross University have imposed strict restrictions on student applications from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, and Jammu & Kashmir.

These measures follow the growing concerns over fraudulent visa applications and the misuse of student visas as a means of backdoor entry into the Australian workforce.

According to the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian government, from January 1, 2025, the Department of Home Affairs will no longer accept Letters of Offer from individuals applying in Australia for a Student visa. Onshore applicants will be required to include a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) at the time of application. The change will only impact applications lodged on or after 1 January 2025. Visa applications lodged before that date using only a Letter of Offer from an education provider are not affected.

MEA responds:

The Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswalin in a press meet stated that visa matters are sovereign prerogatives of individual countries.

"Visa matters are sovereign matters. Whether Australia wants to issue a visa to X or Y, it's their prerogative. So that is how we look at it,".

Similar incidents in 2023:

In 2023, , Australian education agents were instructed to not consider students from Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, due to the high rate of dropouts.

Reports suggest that between December 2022 and December 2023, there was a 48% decline in student visas granted to Indian nationals. Student visa approvals for Nepalese applicants dropped by 53% and for Pakistani students by 55% over the same period.

Data from media reports suggests that between December 2022 and December 2023, there was a 48% decline in student visas granted to Indian nationals. The figures, though framed as the outcome of tightened scrutiny across the board, reveal a pattern of targeted rejection. Other South Asian countries have fared no better: student visa approvals for Nepalese applicants dropped by 53% and for Pakistani students by 55% over the same period.

"India and Australia continue to have a very strong relationship in the field of education. Australia deeply values Indian students, and the Australian government welcomes their contribution to our classrooms and Australian society. There are over 100,000 Indian students currently studying in Australia – the second largest cohort of students from any country - and we continue to process student visa applications from Indians every day," the Australian Consulate General told NewsMeter.