Several universities in Australia have decided to place restrictions on applications of students from Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Jammu & Kashmir over alleged submission of fraudulent documents and high rate of dropouts.

Every year, Australia enrolls a massive number of Indian students, which in 2023 is reportedly set to surpass the previous high of 75,000 in 2019.

This, however, comes as Federation University in Victoria and Western Sydney University in New South Wales recently joined the list of universities that decided not to take in Indian students from these states.

“The university has observed a significant increase in the proportion of visa applications being refused from some Indian regions by the Department of Home Affairs,” Federation University's letter to agents as accessed by The Sydney Morning Herald said.  It added it is clear that a trend is emerging but it hopes this would be a short-term issue.

Western Sydney University also told agents that they must not enroll students from Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat as most of the Indian students who began the courses in 2022 dropped out. “The university has observed a significant increase in the proportion of visa applications being refused from some Indian regions by the Department of Home Affairs,” the letter to agents sent earlier this month stated.

Earlier this year, five other universities in Australia -- Victoria University, Edith Cowan University, University of Wollongong, Torrens University, and Southern Cross University -- announced that they would be restricting applications of Indian students, especially those applying from Punjab and Haryana in response to a surge in fraudulent applications seeking to work, and not study, in the country, Australian media reported.

Meanwhile, the Australian High Commission in India told the media that they were unaware of restrictions being imposed by Australian universities on Indian students.

“Australian universities have the authority to make their own decisions on recruitment or admission, which may affect their intake from certain regions. The Australian High Commission is not aware of any institutions that currently restrict access for students from these regions,” the communication read.

“The Australian government does not place bans on applicants from specific regions to apply to study in Australia -- nor does the Australian government have the authority to advise or instruct institutions, such as universities, to ban applicants from certain regions,” it added.