Australia Student Visa Curbs Explained: How Tighter Checks Could Impact Indian Students

Australia has tightened checks on international students, placing India, Nepal and Bangladesh in the highest risk category for student visas. The changes, effective from Jan. 8 were announced through the PRISMS system by the Department of Education, The Australia Today reported.

These new norms aim to address concerns about document integrity and ensure that student visa applications are carefully reviewed. The development has led to concerns among experts over possible delays for applications from these countries. 

The latest updates involve changes to country Evidence Levels, which help manage risks while supporting legitimate students. In a statement accompanying the update, the department said adjustments to country Evidence Levels were designed to “assist with the effective management of emerging integrity issues, while continuing to facilitate genuine students seeking a quality education in Australia.”

Under this system, Assessment Levels, ranging from AL1 (lowest risk) to AL3 (highest risk), are used by the department in evaluating visa applications. When a country is placed at a higher level, it means stricter checks and more documentary requirements from people belonging to such nations. Australia Today cited the government to report that these adjustments balance risk management with maintaining access for qualified international students.

According to Australia Today, an analysis shared unofficially suggests these changes:

India: from AL2 → AL3

Nepal: from AL2 → AL3

Sri Lanka: from AL1 → AL2

Bangladesh: from AL1 → AL3

Bhutan: from AL2 → AL3

Pakistan: remains in AL3

India remains Australia’s second-largest international student source, with 1,22,391 Indian students enrolled between January and September 2023, according to the Indian High Commission Canberra's website. With these new changes, Indian applicants may face tighter checks and longer processing time, leading to delays.

Phil Honeywood, CEO of the International Education Association of Australia, said that the timing is concerning, as frequent changes create uncertainty for education providers. The latest changes also come at a time when admissions for 2026 sessions are beginning, which can result in complicating the process. The last adjustments were made in September 2025.

“In the last 24 hours, I have had a long discussion with Minister Hill about the sector’s concerns, primarily with two aspects of the assessment level changes…First and foremost, the frequency of change is causing confusion among providers here and agents offshore. Secondly, at the very time we are trying to ensure a good start to the year intake, we appear again as though we are not quite sure which countries we seek to recruit from,” Honeywood was cited as saying by the publication.

According to the authorities, they have identified a rise in suspected fraudulent financial and academic documents from some source countries. As a result, officials have strengthened evidence checks and risk filtering to protect the integrity of its visa system. 

The Australia Today report noted that the authorities are expected to issue detailed guidance on how these changes will be implemented and whether the Assessment Level changes are temporary in nature.