The changes have come again. Australia has revised student visa evidence levels for applicants from some South Asian countries, and this update could directly affect how your application is assessed.
The frequent updates are causing confusion among education providers, offshore agents, and students who rely on the Australian student visa process. But, here is a clear breakdown of the latest assessment levels:
Updated Country Assessment Levels
Level 3 – Stricter Requirements
(Higher scrutiny for English language proficiency and financial evidence)
- India (previously Level 2)
- Nepal (previously Level 2)
- Bangladesh (previously Level 1)
- Bhutan (previously Level 2)
- Philippines
Level 2
- Sri Lanka (previously Level 1)
- Vietnam
Level 1 – Standard Requirements
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
Why These Changes Have Come
After the Minister’s recent visit to South Asia, the government highlighted a noticeable increase in fraud related to financial and academic documents. The Minister stated that stricter documentary evidence is the only way to separate genuine students from non-genuine applicants.
The changes for Nepal and Bangladesh surprised many in the sector. Typically, non-genuine or “dodgy” students do not target low-risk institutions, which suggests the problem lies more with how applications are submitted than with the institutions themselves.
Two Main Types of Fraud Being Detected
Authorities are mainly seeing two types of fraud in student visa applications:
- Financial documents that appear genuine: Some financial papers look real and pass checks due to bank involvement, even though they do not reflect the student’s actual financial situation.
- “Search funds” fraud: Students use agents to show real money held by unrelated people with the same family name, making it hard to detect that the funds are not theirs.
What This Means for Applicants
Applicants from Level 3 countries should now expect stricter checks on financial documents and English language evidence than before and any unclear funding sources, borrowed money, or weak documentation can lead to delays or refusal. So, accuracy and transparency are now become more important than ever.
However, genuine and verifiable documents are still essential for Level 2 and Level 1 countries. Now, it has become clear that Australia will only allow student visa applications that have clear intent and clean paperwork.
Worried About Your Student Visa Application?
Growmore Immigration guides students in preparing accurate, genuine, and fully compliant applications under the latest country assessment levels. So, get the expert advice now and apply for Australian student visa with confidence.
Email: info@growmore.one
WhatsApp: +61 434 202 021
Phone: +61 3 8764 3334
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