Australia tightens student visa rules, rejects 64 percent of Nepali applications
Summary
Australia has tightened its student visa rules, leading to a 64 percent rejection rate for Nepali applicants, with the highest refusals in the vocational education sector. This has caused a sharp decline in new Nepali student arrivals amid rising application costs and stricter scrutiny.
Key Points
- Australia has rejected around 64 percent of offshore student visa applications from Nepal, the highest rejection rate recorded for Nepali applicants.
- Nepal has been moved to 'Level 3', the highest-risk category for visa scrutiny, causing nearly 90 percent of Nepali VET course applications to be rejected.
- Only 2,700 of 7,500 Nepali offshore student visa applicants were granted visas between January and May this year, down sharply from the previous year.
- Rising visa application costs and stricter rules have discouraged prospective students, affecting education consultancies and institutions reliant on international enrolments.
