25 April, Australia
The Australian High Commission in New Delhi has refuted reports that some Australian education providers are refusing student applications from particular Indian states.
Replying to accusations in the media, the commission stated there was no ban or limit on applicants from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir.
“Reports that Indian student applications from individual Indian states are being banned or curtailed are untrue,” the Australian High Commission released in a statement on April 23, 2025.
It further stated, “More than 125,000 Indian students are studying in Australia, the second largest student cohort from any nation, and the Australian government continues to accept Indian student visa applications under our international standards.”
The India Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has also weighed in, stating that visa decisions are within the authority of each country
“Visa matters are sovereign matters. Whether Australia wants to issue a visa to X or Y, it’s their prerogative. So that is how we look at it,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in response to questions about alleged curbs on Indian applicants from states like Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
Significantly, these restrictions were not government-imposed bans but voluntary decisions by individual institutions. The Australian High Commission further clarified that the federal government is not discriminatory against students from any region and does not tell universities to limit applications by geographic source.
The concern has attracted further scrutiny after a move by Australian opposition leader Peter Dutton, on April 6, indicated a significant reduction in international student intakes.
“ANNOUNCED: We will cap international student numbers and reduce permanent migration by 25%—freeing up nearly 40,000 homes in the first year,” Dutton said in a post on the social media platform X.
He condemned the policy of the current government towards immigration, referencing a 1.8 million increase in five years of new arrivals, and stating that he believed this was exacerbating the shortage of accommodation in the main cities.
The Australian government has assured no visa ban on students from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, or Jammu and Kashmir.
This clarification comes after a previous temporary ban by some Australian universities in 2023 based on fraudulent student visa applications from some Indian states.
These were individual decisions of the universities and not of the Australian government. The restrictions have been revoked, and students from all parts of India can apply.
