Over time, there has been a noticeable increase in fraudulent applications from South Asia, prompting Australian universities to take action.
As a result, 5 universities in Australia have implemented restrictions or bans on students hailing from specific Indian states.
Reportedly, these applications are suspected to be from individuals who are seeking employment opportunities rather than genuine study opportunities in Australia.
Interestingly, despite these challenges, it has been reported that Australia is poised to welcome its largest-ever intake of Indian students, surpassing the previous record of 75,000 students set in 2019.
Rise of Fraudulent Applications Causes Concerns
The increasing number of fraudulent applications from South Asia, where individuals may be seeking employment opportunities rather than genuine study purposes, has posed significant challenges.
Concerns about this issue have been raised by lawmakers and the education sector alike.
According to reports, there are concerns regarding the integrity of Australia’s immigration system and the potential long-term impact on the country’s lucrative international education market.
Jon Chew, representing global education firm Navitas, stated that “The volume of students arriving has exceeded expectations, coming back much stronger than anticipated.”
He further mentioned, “While there was expected pent-up demand, there has also been a surge in non-genuine students.”
The report highlighted that due to numerous applications being deemed by universities as not meeting the requirements for a “genuine temporary entrant” visa, which is meant for students coming solely for education purposes, universities are implementing restrictions to proactively manage the risk of their “risk rating” being downgraded.
Universities Raise Restrictions on Students from Punjab, Haryana & Other States
Newspaper investigations have revealed that there has been a crackdown on applications from Indian students at Victoria University, Edith Cowan University, the University of Wollongong, Torrens University, and agents representing Southern Cross University, as revealed by obtained emails.
The universities are expressing concerns that any potential reduction in the student visa processing timeframe by the Australian Home Affairs department could adversely affect their ability to attract and enroll genuine international students.
Let’s delve into how this unfolded. It began with Edith Cowan University in Perth imposing a complete ban on applicants from the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana in February.
Subsequently, Victoria University followed suit by implementing heightened restrictions on student applications from eight Indian states, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
The imposition of restrictions by certain Australian universities on students from specific Indian states coincided with a recent visit to India by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
In March, the University of Wollongong implemented stricter conditions for its “genuine temporary entrant” test for students from several countries, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Lebanon, Mongolia, Nigeria, and other countries that are considered to pose a risk by the Australian Department of Home Affairs.
According to a spokeswoman from Torrens University in Adelaide, the university is currently considering only “very strong” applications from Gujarat, Haryana, and Punjab.
