In response to an increase in fraudulent applications from South Asia wishing to work – not study – in our nation, 5 Australian institutions have banned or restricted students from specific Indian states, according to a media report.
Australia is on course to have the highest annual inflow of Indian students ever, surpassing the previous record of 75,000 set in 2019.
However, the recent increase has raised questions from lawmakers and the education community about the integrity of Australia's immigration system and the long-term effects on the country's valuable international education market, according to a Tuesday article in The Sydney Morning Herald.
Universities are putting limits in place to avoid having their "risk rating" reduced since many applications are regarded by universities as not meeting Australian visa requirements and that they are a "genuine temporary entrant" coming only for education.
Punjab and Haryana applicants from India were completely barred from applying to Edith Cowan University in Perth in February. In March, Victoria University tightened its limits on student admissions from eight Indian states, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
These limitations came only a few days after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited India to celebrate Australia's educational ties and to announce a new agreement with Australian universities and colleges, which he claimed would mark the beginning of "the most comprehensive and ambitious arrangement agreed to by India with any country."
A crucial component of the indication was the "mutual recognition of qualifications between Australia and India," which will facilitate university travel to either nation.