Australia has made it easier for Indian international students to apply for visas by quietly loosening documentation requirements.
India’s student visa assessment level has been moved from Level 3 (higher risk) to Level 2 (moderate risk) by the Department of Home Affairs, meaning many students will no longer have to provide documents such as course-specific English tests and upfront evidence of finances.
The Department does not list the levels publicly, but an Evidence Level Update came into effect on September 30 which puts India on the same level as China, Nepal, Bhutan and Vietnam, The Australia Today reported.
Gold Coast-based migration agent Seema Chauhan said the change was a positive development for Indians wishing to study in Australia.
“This move means many Indian applicants will now face lighter documentation requirements, faster visa processing, and smoother admission procedures,” she said.
Other 2025 updates include the replacement of a “genuine temporary entrant” requirement with a “genuine student” requirement, and a reclassification of education providers.
According to the latest Department of Education data, there were 136,312 Indian international students studying in Australia between January and July this year, the second largest source country after China, which sent 180,451 students.
There were 791,146 students in Australia in total during the same period, just under 3% of the population.
Last year international students were a 51% of all enrolments at the University of Sydney, Australia’s oldest, making up a majority even though the Education Department counts New Zealand citizens, permanent residents and refugees as domestic students, The Australian reported this week.
The University of NSW and Perth’s Murdoch University were both 45% foreign, the University of Melbourne was 43%, and 40% of those studying at the Australian National University were from overseas, while nationwide international students made up 31% of enrolments.
Australia’s reliance on international students has resulted in soaring academic and sexual misconduct reports, academics complaining that degrees are being awarded to students who cannot speak basic English, and classes being conducted entirely in Chinese.
Last year it was revealed that international students made up nearly 100% of exam cheats at the University of Sydney, which months later reversed its cheating policy to allow students to use AI.
Universities are also grappling with the issue of “phantom” international students, mainly from Africa, India and Pakistan, who enrol in order to gain work rights and entry into the country before dropping out of their degrees or failing to show up at all.
Header image: Attendees at the Australia India Youth Dialogue at the University of Sydney (University of Sydney).
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