Studying in Australia will become tougher for most Indian students. Australia has tightened student visa rules and classified India as the highest-risk category for student visa applications.
The Home Affairs website states that on 8 January 2026, Evidence Levels of several countries in South Asia were altered. India has been moved from EL-2 requirements to EL-3 requirements, making the process to get an Australian study visa tougher.
Evidence Levels Model
The Evidence Levels model takes into account the combined evidence level outcomes of the student’s education provider and country of citizenship. The Evidence Levels derived will determine whether a student needs to provide evidence of financial and English language capacity with their Student visa application.
Effective January 8, 2026, Indian students will face stricter scrutiny regarding financial documents, academic records, and intent to study. Visa processing times may lengthen, and approvals are expected to become more selective, aiming to reduce non-genuine applications while still allowing genuine students to apply under enhanced requirements.
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“The EL-2 framework trusted intent over paperwork. It was assumed that students coming from India were largely genuine, which allowed flexibility. That trust-based approach is now clearly over. EL-3 turns the student visa process into a financial and academic audit. Students are no longer evaluated on potential, but on how clean, traceable, and defensible their documents are,” said Ankit Mehra, CEO & Founder of GyanDhan.
Saurabh Arora, Founder & CEO, University Living, explains the difference it makes: Under Evidence Level 2 (EL-2), Australia treated the market as moderate risk. Financial proof and academic documentation were required only for some applicants. Verification was lighter and more selective. Many students could lodge visas with basic transcripts, offer letters, OSHC and fee payments. Financial checks were not always mandatory and the intent assessment (why this course, why Australia) was simpler. Overall, EL-2 allowed faster processing and had a lower compliance burden.
Evidence Level 3 (EL-3) moves the system toward mandatory evidence and deeper verification. Financial proof becomes compulsory, with students required to show clean and traceable funds to cover living expenses (currently AUD 29,710 per year) in addition to tuition and related costs. Academic records, transcripts, prior qualifications and English proficiency are examined more closely. The intent to study is assessed in more detail to ensure the application is education-driven. Processing is likely to take longer and weak or incomplete files may face a higher rejection risk.
Evidence Level Indicators
The weightings and evidence level indicators used to calculate the evidence level of each education provider and country are:
rate of visa cancellations (25% weighting)
rate of refusals due to a fraud reason (40% weighting)
rate of refusals (excluding fraud) (10% weighting)
rate of Student visa holders becoming unlawful non-citizens (15% weighting)
rate of Subsequent Protection Visa applications (10% weighting)
Impact on Indian Students
“For genuine and academically serious applicants, the door remains open. The main shift is that planning, documentation and financial preparedness now matter more than before. Broadly, the change filters for seriousness and reduces speculative applications. It also forces families to budget the full annual cost rather than assuming part-time work will cover living expenses,” says Arora.
The number of new students studying in Australia in 2025 was 190,799, a fall of 15 per cent till the same period in 2024. In the YTD October 2025, 833,041 international students studied in Australia, of which 17% were Indian students.
“This change will not reduce demand for Australia, but it will filter out unprepared applicants. Unfortunately, first-time students without structured guidance will feel the pressure the most,” said Ankit Mehra, CEO & Founder of GyanDhan.
The Australian Government has announced its next annual ‘National Planning Level’ (NPL) for new international student commencements. In 2026, the NPL will be 295,000. This includes an additional 25,000 new international student allocations compared to 2025.