ISLAMABAD: Indian students are among the most affected as international student visa rejections in Australia climbed to a 20-year high, reflecting tighter immigration controls, according to Australian media.
Recent data showed refusal rates for student visas reached 32.5% in February, with Indian applicants facing around 40% rejection, Australian Financial Review reported.
Even higher rejection rates were recorded for students from Nepal and Bangladesh, indicating a wider impact on South Asian applicants.
The surge in refusals comes as Australia moves to curb migration levels amid domestic political pressure linked to housing shortages and population growth.
Education sector representatives have raised concerns over policy inconsistency, saying universities are facing uncertainty after earlier signals of increased student intake.
Analysts describe student visas as a key policy tool being used to manage migration flows.
Australian officials, however, have defended the measures, maintaining that the country remains open to genuine students while strengthening checks to filter out non-serious applicants.
Indian students are also facing similar visa constraints in the United States and Canada, where authorities have tightened scrutiny amid concerns over fraudulent applications and misuse of student visa pathways.
According to media reports, Canada reduced international student permits for the second consecutive year in early 2025 as part of efforts to curb fraud and control temporary migration.
Data showed that 74% of Indian student visa applications were rejected in August 2025, compared to 32% a year earlier, while only 24% of Chinese applications were turned down.
The number of Indian applicants to Canada also declined sharply, dropping from 20,900 in August 2023 to 4,515 in August 2025, despite India remaining the top source of foreign students for more than a decade.
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