The warning came after some universities in Australia barred applicants from six Indian states in May over a growing trend of falsified visa documents
The Australian envoy to India has asked students to be wary of education and migration consultants who, in growing numbers, have been found to falsify documents for entry into Australia. It may be noted that the warning came after some universities in Australia barred applicants from six Indian states in May over a growing trend of falsified visa documents.
“What we see is a failure by migration agents who are letting down students by not completing their forms accurately. We have seen an uptick of false information and fraudulent applications and as a result a very small number of [Australian] universities have turned the tap off on migration agents responsible,” The Hindu reported recently mentioning an address to journalists by diplomat Barry O’Farrell.
O’Farrell reportedly urged students intending to visit Australia for education to monitor the agency’s paperwork and file copies for assurance.
The Federation University in Victoria and Western Sydney University in New South Wales both announced a ban on the intake of students from Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir.
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The bans come even as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met Narendra Modi, his Indian counterpart, in Sydney in late May to discuss regional security and economic ties and signed a migration deal to boost Indian student travel to Australia
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Albanese also earlier said in a television interview that “hundreds of thousands of Indian students have been able to access education here in Australia,” which he claimed was good for Australia’s economy
In a statement to agents dated May 19, The Federation University said: “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. We hoped this would prove to be a short-term issue, however it has persisted, and it is now clear there is a trend emerging.”
“It is our assessment that refusal rates from certain regions in North India are unlikely to reduce in the foreseeable future.”
“We have made the difficult decision to stop processing applications for these regions knowing that there is a greater chance that the applicant may receive a visa refusal which can significantly impact the future study intentions.”
Western Sydney University reportedly said that students from Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat presented the highest attrition risk and would no longer allow applications from these states.
Unconfirmed reports also pointed out that Victoria University, Edith Cowan University, University of Wollongong, Torrens University, and Southern Cross University are in the process of or have already placed restrictions and checks for Indian students from these states.
The bans come even as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met Narendra Modi, his Indian counterpart, in Sydney in late May to discuss regional security and economic ties and signed a migration deal to boost Indian student travel to Australia. Albanese also earlier said in a television interview that “hundreds of thousands of Indian students have been able to access education here in Australia,” which he claimed was good for Australia’s economy.
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