Two more Australian universities – Federation University in Victoria and New South Wales’s Western Sydney University — have barred the recruitment of Indian students from some Indian states citing a rise in the number of fraudulent visa applications. The universities announced the development via separate statements on Thursday. The ban was announced just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Australia visit, during which a large number of people from the diaspora turned up for the community event.
Australian Universities ban students from five Indian states
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the two universities have asked education agents to not recruit students from Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and the Union Territory of 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 Federation University’s letter to agents said.
“Due to the urgency of this matter, the university has decided to pause recruitment from these regions in India, effective immediately.” the letter further said.
The Australian Department of Education mentioned that it is aware of “unscrupulous behaviour” in the international education industry.
‘Apparent rise in fraudulent applications’
The latest move comes a month after several Australian universities, such as Victoria University, Edith Edith Cowan University, Torrens University, and Southern Cross University, reportedly implemented measures to address an apparent rise in fraudulent applications from certain Indian states.
“A large number of Indian students who commenced study in 2022 intakes have not remained enrolled, resulting in a significantly high attrition rate,” the Western Sydney University told agents in a message sent on May 8.
The university acknowledged Punjab, Gujarat, and Haryana as the locations with the highest risk of attrition.
Due to the urgency of this matter, the university has decided to pause recruitment from these regions in India, effective immediately,” the university message said.
