WION Spotlight | Bogus applicants trigger Australia ban on Indian students

Thousands of Indian students have been banned from admission to Australian universities in view of the phenomenal surge in bogus applications. The clamp-down is specifically against applicants from the two Indian states of Punjab and Haryana. At least four universities — Victoria, Wollongong, Torrens and Edith Cowan University—have tightened scrutiny of applications, according to reports in Australian dailies. 

While some universities have resorted to outright bans, others have imposed restrictions. Even agents working for Australian universities have come down heavily on applications from Indian students. 

Australia’s crackdown has been triggered by the soaring number of applications from India, with much of it suspected of being fraudulent. The number of applications is expected to exceed the all-time high of 75,000 seen before the pandemic in 2019. 

This comes at a time when India-Australia relations are upbeat and being intensified. Under the landmark India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) that came into force in December last year, Australia is to facilitate market access and mobility for more Indian professionals.

A student visa is seen as a shortcut to finding work and, perhaps even a work visa, especially for low-skilled jobs. This, in turn, has raised fears that many of the applicants are not genuine students but job-seekers who want to game the system for easy entry into Australia. 

The concerns flagged by the authorities over the massive flow of applications seeking to undercut the country’s immigration laws have pushed the universities to take pre-emptive action by way of bans and restrictions. Otherwise, they could be courting trouble, especially from the Department of Home Affairs. 

The ECTA agreement was followed by a visit of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to India in March when he announced that Australia would recognise Indian degrees. 

The month before Albanese’s visit saw an unprecedented surge in applications from India for vocational education in Australia. The Home Affairs Department felt that the bulk of these applications might be fraudulent and, therefore, rejected 94 per cent of them. 

Australia’s international education market is estimated to be worth about $40 billion annually. Many universities earn more from overseas students than those at home. Applications from South Asian countries began swelling since the previous administration in January 2022 scrapped the 20-hour weekly limit on student work. The Albanese government plans to bring back the work limit from July but feels that the integrity of Australia’s immigration should not be vitiated by letting in a tide of bogus applicants.

Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.

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