There are a total of 1,40,871 students from India studying in Australia, of whom 31,197 students had enrolled in 2025 (Representative image/ Pexels) Australia has moved India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan to its Evidence Level 3, which is the highest risk category under its Simplified Student Visa Framework as the South Asian nations would face heightened visa scrutiny as the federal government cited “emerging integrity issues”.
The four countries that accounted for nearly one third of all international students enrollment in Australia last year, as per Department of Education’s data, have been moved from Evidence Level 2 to Evidence Level 3.
Impact on Indian applicants
According to former Immigration Department deputy secretary Dr Abul Rizvi, it was a “highly unusual” and “out-of-cycle” change, news.com.au reported.
There are a total of 1,40,871 students from India studying in Australia, of whom 31,197 students had enrolled in 2025. The change in the visa scrutiny doesn’t necessarily affect the Indian students in Australia but it would certainly take a toll on those hundreds and thousands of students who apply each year.
‘Changes will assist with effective management’
Confirming the development, Australia’s home affairs spokesperson said that “on January 8, 2026, Evidence Levels (EL) of several countries in South Asia were altered.”
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The spokesperson further added, “This change will assist with the effective management of emerging integrity issues, while continuing to facilitate genuine students seeking a quality education in Australia,” news.com.au reported.
What does Evidence Level 3 rating means
According to Australia’s Home Affairs website, under the Simplified Student Visa Framework (SSVF), countries are assigned Evidence Level based on several factors:
- Visa cancellations
- Visa refusals
- Overstaying a visa
- Unlawful non-citizens
- Protection visa applications
- Linking a student visa to an education provider
Small Countries
For small countries where the enrollment of students is less than the threshold of 50, their default evidence level would be 3, Australia’s home affairs department said. The conditions are applied unless that country meets certain criteria regarding income, in which case the Australian government applies a default evidence level of one.
