2 Australian universities ban students from Punjab, Haryana, other states
The universities announced a ban on recruitment of students from select Indian states as rejection rates for Indian applicants across all Australian universities by the Department of Home Affairs reached the highest in a decade.
- May 25, 2023,
- Updated May 25, 2023 4:24 PM IST
Two Australian universities—Federation University and Western Sydney University—have barred enrolment of students from some Indian states amid visa fraud concerns. Federation University on Friday instructed education agents in a letter to no longer enroll students from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir.
“The university has observed a significant increase in the proportion of visa applications being refused from some Indian regions by the Department of Home Affairs,” the letter to agents as accessed by The Sydney Morning Herald said. The University further said it is clear that a trend is emerging but it hopes this would be a short-term issue.
The University said that it acknowledges the challenges faced by genuine students from various regions at present and the likely impact of this decision on them and their families. Around a quarter of the 5,500 students enrolled at the Federation University are international students.
Western Sydney University also told agents that they must not enroll students from Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat since large number of Indian students who began the courses in 2022 dropped out. “The university has observed a significant increase in the proportion of visa applications being refused from some Indian regions by the Department of Home Affairs,” the letter to agents sent earlier this month said.
It said that the ban would be in place for at least two months and additional measures will also be taken to address the issue of non-genuine students enrolling with the university from Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat. These measures include changes in screening of applications, stricter admission conditions, and increase in course commencement fees.
A spokesperson for the university said the decision was not taken lightly but it was necessary to protect the integrity of its international student program. Federation University and Western Sydney University are, however, not the only universities to do so.
Four other Australian universities – Victoria, Edith Cowan, Torrens and Southern Cross—also paused enrolment of Indian students in April this year. Australian universities-- Wollongong and Flinders—also made changes to their entry procedure in March this year for students from countries considered “high risk” but they did not say they were restricting enrolments from specific Indian states.
The universities announced a ban on recruitment of students from select Indian states as rejection rates for Indian applicants across all Australian universities by the Department of Home Affairs reached the highest in a decade. Around one in four applications by Indian students has been deemed as either “fraudulent” or “non-genuine”.
Australia’s federal Department of Education also flagged the “unscrupulous behaviour” in the international education sector including offering inducements to encourage students to move from universities to cheaper vocational education providers.
Also read: UK govt to limit migration by families of overseas students; Indian, Chinese students to be hit
Two Australian universities—Federation University and Western Sydney University—have barred enrolment of students from some Indian states amid visa fraud concerns. Federation University on Friday instructed education agents in a letter to no longer enroll students from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir.
“The university has observed a significant increase in the proportion of visa applications being refused from some Indian regions by the Department of Home Affairs,” the letter to agents as accessed by The Sydney Morning Herald said. The University further said it is clear that a trend is emerging but it hopes this would be a short-term issue.
The University said that it acknowledges the challenges faced by genuine students from various regions at present and the likely impact of this decision on them and their families. Around a quarter of the 5,500 students enrolled at the Federation University are international students.
Western Sydney University also told agents that they must not enroll students from Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat since large number of Indian students who began the courses in 2022 dropped out. “The university has observed a significant increase in the proportion of visa applications being refused from some Indian regions by the Department of Home Affairs,” the letter to agents sent earlier this month said.
It said that the ban would be in place for at least two months and additional measures will also be taken to address the issue of non-genuine students enrolling with the university from Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat. These measures include changes in screening of applications, stricter admission conditions, and increase in course commencement fees.
A spokesperson for the university said the decision was not taken lightly but it was necessary to protect the integrity of its international student program. Federation University and Western Sydney University are, however, not the only universities to do so.
Four other Australian universities – Victoria, Edith Cowan, Torrens and Southern Cross—also paused enrolment of Indian students in April this year. Australian universities-- Wollongong and Flinders—also made changes to their entry procedure in March this year for students from countries considered “high risk” but they did not say they were restricting enrolments from specific Indian states.
The universities announced a ban on recruitment of students from select Indian states as rejection rates for Indian applicants across all Australian universities by the Department of Home Affairs reached the highest in a decade. Around one in four applications by Indian students has been deemed as either “fraudulent” or “non-genuine”.
Australia’s federal Department of Education also flagged the “unscrupulous behaviour” in the international education sector including offering inducements to encourage students to move from universities to cheaper vocational education providers.
Also read: UK govt to limit migration by families of overseas students; Indian, Chinese students to be hit