Australia has tightened visa checks for Indian students by moving India into the 'highest-risk' category. This change, effective January 8, 2026, places India along with Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan in Evidence Level 3 under Australia’s Simplified Student Visa Framework (SSVF). The Australian administration made this move due to “emerging integrity risks.” "This change will assist with the effective management of emerging integrity issues, while continuing to facilitate genuine students seeking a quality education in Australia,” said the administration. Indian students applying for Australian visas will now face more scrutiny. They may need to submit additional documents, undergo stricter background checks, and provide banking and English language proof. Visa officers can contact institutions and referees directly. Application processing will also take longer, shifting from three weeks to up to eight weeks. Australia did not list specific reasons for India’s new status but did mention recent fake degree scandals in India. India sends nearly 140,000 students to Australia out of about 650,000 international students in total. The four countries upgraded to the highest risk category make up about one-third of 2025 enrolments. Experts note that Australia remains the top option as the US, UK, and Canada tighten their student visa rules. Phil Honeywood, chief executive of the International Education Association of Australia, said, “It recently became obvious that student applicants who couldn’t get into those other three countries are increasingly applying to come to Australia, and in many cases we’ve seen an increase in fraudulent financial and academic documents.” He added, “By placing a number of these countries into the highest risk rating level then it automatically enhances any filtering of the student visa applicants to ensure bona fide study motivation.”