Australia puts Indian students under highest visa risk tier: Impact decoded

Indian students may face stricter checks and longer processing times as Australia moves India to Evidence Level 3 under its visa risk framework

On January 8, Australian authorities moved India into the ‘highest-risk’ category under the visa risk framework. Indian students were shifted from Evidence Level 2 to Evidence Level 3 under the Simplified Student Visa Framework (SSVF), effectively returning to rules that were in place before September 2025, the Centre informed Rajya Sabha on Thursday in a written response. 

What applicants now face

 

Under Evidence Level 3, students may see more detailed checks during the visa process. These can include:

 

• Requests for additional documents

• Manual verification of bank statements

• Additional English language evidence

• Background checks, including calls to institutions and referees

   

Processing timelines are also expected to increase. Applications that earlier took around three weeks may now take up to eight weeks in some cases.  Govt's response 

 

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was asked whether the government was aware of the move, which places Indian applicants under closer scrutiny and requires more documentation.

 

Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said, “Yes, from January 8, 2026, Australian authorities have revised the evidence requirement level for Indian applicants from EL2 to EL3, effectively reverting arrangements to those in place before September 2025.”

 

The SSVF is designed to make the student visa process simpler for genuine applicants, while allowing authorities to apply checks where needed, according to the website of Australia’s Department of Home Affairs.

 

The MEA was also asked how the change could affect student mobility, bilateral education ties and India’s global higher education ambitions.

 

Singh said, “In view of the growing and mutually beneficial educational partnership between India and Australia, which includes several Australian universities opening campuses in India, the government of India remains engaged in a constructive dialogue with the Australian government.”

 

“The government is committed to facilitating to the fullest extent possible Indian students going to Australia for higher education and research in pursuit of those objectives,” he said.

 

What the change means for Indian students

 

The reclassification does not stop Indian students from applying to study in Australia. It increases the level of checks applied during the visa process.

 

Ankit Mehra, CEO and founder of GyanDhan, told Business Standard that genuine applicants are unlikely to face major issues. “Students with legitimate academic profiles and clean financial documentation have nothing to fear, only a longer wait,” he said.

 

However, applications backed by weak or questionable documents face higher risks. “Students relying on fabricated funds or dubious paperwork risk severe consequences, including visa refusal and long-term damage to their global education prospects,” Mehra said.

 

Why Australia moved India to Evidence Level 3

 

Australian authorities have not pointed to a single reason for the change. The move comes amid reports of fake degree and documentation rackets in India that have drawn attention in recent months.

 

India accounts for nearly 140,000 of Australia’s roughly 650,000 international students. Along with Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan, it makes up close to one-third of Australia’s international student population in 2025.

 

Phil Honeywood, Chief Executive of the International Education Association of Australia, linked the shift to changing global student flows. “It recently became obvious that student applicants who couldn’t get into those other three countries are increasingly applying to come to Australia, and in many cases we’ve seen an increase in fraudulent financial and academic documents,” he said in an official statement.

 

“By placing a number of these countries into the highest risk rating level then it automatically enhances any filtering of the student visa applicants to ensure bona fide study motivation,” Honeywood said.

 

Mehra also pointed to rising demand from India. “Australia has become an increasingly preferred destination for Indian students planning to study abroad. This sudden redirection has significantly increased application volumes, prompting Australian authorities to introduce stricter scrutiny for applicants from high-pressure source markets, including India,” he said.