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However, the improvement appears to be driven largely by changes in application processing patterns rather than a broad easing of visa policies.
Data from Australia's Department of Home Affairs showed that 83% of offshore higher education visa applications processed in April were approved, up from 59% in March and 67% in February.
About 7,400 visas were granted to offshore university applicants in April, compared with 6,900 in March, despite authorities processing nearly 3,000 fewer applications during the month.
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Patrons dine at a bar in Sydney, Australia in 2021. Photo by Reuters |
An analysis by Times Higher Education (THE) found that the higher approval rate coincided with a sharp reduction in the processing of applications from several South Asian countries that face heightened immigration scrutiny.
The number of Indian student visa applications processed in April fell 59% compared with the average monthly volume recorded in February and March.
Processing volumes also declined significantly for applicants from Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, dropping by 67%, 78% and 87%, respectively.
In contrast, the number of applications processed from all other nationalities increased in April compared with the previous two months.
March's approval rate of 59% and February's 67% were the lowest in history. Before that, grant rates had remained above 73% for more than two decades.
China and several key Southeast Asian markets, including Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia, recorded relatively low rejection rates of around 4% to 15%.
Students from South Asia, however, were among the most affected. The approval rate was just 27% for Nepalese applicants and 49% for Indian applicants.
Experts have described the rejection rates as unusually high.
Under Australia's updated student visa evidence-level system introduced in January, Bangladesh, India and Nepal were moved into Evidence Level 3, the highest-risk category under the country's immigration risk framework.
Applicants from higher-risk countries are often required to provide additional documentation and may face more intensive scrutiny during the visa assessment process.
