In May, The AFR reported that the volume of fraudulent student visa applications had mushroomed, dominated by India and Nepal.
Former regulator for the vocational training sector, Claire Field, explained that lifting restrictions on the number of hours students were allowed to work had attracted non-genuine students. In turn, “there are allegations of significant visa fraud in India”, which “as a former regulator for the vocational training sector, [has] the alarm bells in my head are ringing loudly”.
In June, the Indian Express reported similar, with Australia’s Home Affairs department receiving hundreds of fraudulent student visa applications from India’s Punjab and Haryana regions. This followed Australia loosening entry requirements for Indian students by only requiring them to pay six months’ fees in advance and not requiring them to pay for living expenses upfront.
