Why Australia Has Tagged Indian Students as ‘High Risk’ — and How It Affects Visas Applicants

Australia tightens student visa scrutiny, India moved to highest risk category

Australia has moved India to the highest student visa risk category under revised Assessment Levels effective January 8, 2026. The sudden change raises documentation requirements and scrutiny for Indian applicants, unsettling universities and agents and sparking concerns over predictability, processing delays and Australia’s appeal as a study destination.

Australia Puts India In 'Highest-Risk' Tier For Student Visas. What It Means

Australia has reclassified India to the highest-risk category (Assessment Level 3, or AL3) for student visas, imposing stricter documentary requirements and greater scrutiny on applications. The changes took effect on 8th January 2026.

Australia tightens visa rules for Indian students, moves nation to 'high-risk category'

Evidence Level 3 represents the strictest integrity setting and is generally applied where there is a higher risk of fraud, visa refusal, or non-compliance

Australia tightens student visa rules for Indians, moves India to highest-risk category

Australia has elevated India to its highest-risk category for student visas, implementing stricter scrutiny for Indian applicants effective January 8, 2026. This move, impacting nearly 140,000 Indian students, aims to manage emerging integrity concerns and ensure genuine students receive quality education amidst global shifts in student migration.

Why Australia has tagged Indian students as ‘high risk’ — and how it affects visas applicants

Australia has moved Indian students into highest risk category for visas, along with applicants from Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. Here's why, and what this means going forward for education ‘Down Under’.

Australia classifies India in highest-risk category for student visas

Australia has reclassified India to the highest-risk category for student visas and has imposed stricter document requirements. India, accounting for nearly 140,000 of Australia’s 650,000 enrolments, has been reclassified from the Assessment Level 2 to Level 3 category, despite being one of the largest source countries. In the statement, the Australian government said that the change would assist with effective management of the emerging integri…