Australia Student Visa: India Placed in “Highest-Risk” Category, What It Means for Students

Students planning to study in Australia must first secure admission to a recognized college or university before applying for a student visa. However, a recent development has made this process more challenging for Indian students. The Australian government has placed India in the “highest-risk” category for student visas, alongside Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan.

Under this new classification in the Simplified Student Visa Framework (SSVF), India has moved from Evidence Level 2 to Evidence Level 3. This means Indian students applying for visas will now face stricter scrutiny and additional verification procedures.

What Does “Highest-Risk” Category Mean for Indian Students?
Being in the highest-risk category implies that Indian applicants may be asked to provide extra documentation, and their background will undergo more rigorous checks. Specific measures include:

• Manual verification of bank statements
• Additional proof of English language proficiency
• Contact with institutions or referees regarding English-language tests
• Overall processing time may now take 3 to 8 weeks

Why Has India Been Placed in This Category?
The Australian government has not specified an official reason, but the move follows incidents in India involving fake degree holders, which gained international attention. Currently, 1.4 lakh of Australia’s 6.5 lakh foreign students are from India, and in 2025, Indian students accounted for one-third of all admissions.

Experts note that Australia is among the top four countries where Indian students prefer to study, along with the USA, UK, and Canada. With stricter immigration rules in these other countries, more students are now applying to Australia, leading to an increase in fraudulent financial and educational documents.

Phil Honeywood, Chief Executive of the International Education Association of Australia, explained:
“Placing certain countries in the highest-risk category automatically increases the screening of student visa applications. This ensures that the students who genuinely intend to study in Australia are prioritized.”

Indian students planning to study in Australia should now prepare for longer processing times and ensure that all documents are authentic and complete before applying for a student visa.