Federation University in Victoria and Western Sydney University in New South Wales have taken steps to combat visa fraud by instructing education agents to stop recruiting students from certain Indian states. The banned states include Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The decision was prompted by the surge in rejection rates for Indian applicants and the need for stricter regulation of education agents, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald.
According to the Department of Home Affairs, rejection rates for Indian applicants at Australian universities have reached their highest level in ten years, with one in four applications classified as either “fraudulent” or “non-genuine.” Federation University, with around 5,500 international students, has witnessed a significant increase in visa rejections. Similarly, Western Sydney University has banned recruitment from Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat due to high attrition rates among Indian students.
These measures highlight the concerns over visa fraud and aim to protect the integrity of international student programs. However, they also reflect broader concerns within the Australian education sector. Other universities have previously paused recruitment from specific Indian states, and efforts are underway to address the issue of fraudulent agents and providers.
Despite the ban, Australia is still expecting its largest annual intake of Indian students, surpassing previous records.
