Australia moves India to ‘highest risk category’, tightening student visa checks

• Home Dept confirms change made in unusual out-of-cycle review.
• Four countries shifted from Evidence Level 2 to Evidence Level 3.
• These four countries accounted for third of int’l enrolments last year.

Australia has tightened scrutiny of student visa applications from three countries, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan, after moving the four South Asian countries into its highest risk category, citing what it described as “emerging integrity issues”, Australian media reported.

The Home Affairs Department confirmed that on January 8, 2026, the Evidence Levels of several South Asian nations were changed in an unusual out-of-cycle review. The four countries were shifted from Evidence Level 2 to Evidence Level 3, a move that places them in the highest risk group under Australia’s Simplified Student Visa Framework.

Together, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan accounted for nearly one-third of all international student enrolments last year. A Home Affairs spokesperson said the changes were aimed at better managing integrity risks while continuing to support genuine students.

“This change will assist with the effective management of emerging integrity issues, while continuing to facilitate genuine students seeking a quality education in Australia,” the spokesperson said. He added that the government wanted international students to have confidence that they were investing in a high-quality education system.

Former Immigration Department deputy secretary Dr Abul Rizvi described the move as “highly unusual”, noting that Evidence Levels are normally updated only once a year. Under the framework, countries are assessed based on factors such as fraud-related refusals, visa cancellations, unlawful overstays and subsequent refugee applications.

An Evidence Level 3 rating means both applicants and education providers must provide more detailed documentation on financial capacity and academic history. Dr Rizvi said this would lead to greater manual checks, including verification of transcripts and financial statements, and would slow processing times.

The change follows a visit to India last month by country’s Assistant Minister for International Education Julian Hill, who met Home Affairs officials on the ground. 

Dr Rizvi said authorities may have run special data checks after identifying a rise in concerning cases.

While the government has not changed its national planning level of 295,000 student places for 2026, Dr Rizvi said higher refusal rates from the affected countries would require more students to be sourced from elsewhere.