Students from at least six Indian states have been barred from enrolling at several Australian colleges.
Due to growing worries about student visa fraud and abuse of the education system, colleges have limited admissions to students from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir.
According to a Deccan Chronicle report, authorities took action after noting an upsurge in fraudulent applications using student visas as a pathway to immigration rather than education.
A few universities first enforced the ban after experiencing problems with student admissions.
Applications from students in the states listed above are now either not handled at all or subject to more strict screening and verification procedures.
Australian officials have expressed concerns that their foreign education system may have been put at risk. The Department of Home Affairs and colleges are working closely together to streamline the student visa application process, CNBC TV 18 reports.
According to Indian education experts, this decision has left legitimate candidates perplexed and upset, as India remains one of Australia's largest sources of overseas students.
This is a huge shock to students looking for alternatives after the United States of America (USA) President Donald Trump imposed extraordinarily severe visa regulations for Indian students.
To prevent record migration, Australia cautioned numerous institutions for fraudulent student recruitment practices in 2024.
