Australia Tightens Student Visa Rules: India, Nepal, Bangladesh Face Higher Scrutiny

• Australia revised student visa Assessment Levels for several South Asian countries, effective January 8.
• India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan moved to AL3 (highest scrutiny), while Sri Lanka moved to AL2.
• The changes aim to manage "emerging integrity issues" and address concerns over fraudulent documents.
• This is the second revision in under four months, causing uncertainty for education providers and agents.
• Minister Julian Hill noted Australia's increasing popularity, leading to tougher risk filtering for visa integrity.

Why It Matters: Australia has increased scrutiny for Indian and other South Asian student visa applicants due to integrity concerns.