To make some changes in their academic curriculum, Australia has been trying to protect the quality of education. This also means that the government is trying to curb the number of students coming to the nation. This has been happening since 2024. As per the latest estimate, last year, almost 1,18,109 Indian students were enrolled in educational institutions in Australia. The instant drop in numbers has been on the rise. Experts say this can be attributed to the strict visa regulations, the rise in tuition fees, and much more.

However, you can understand the necessary changes in the Australian visa scenario with the help of the following themes:

Requirement of Genuine Students

The GS Requirement takes the place of the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement. While the GTE was concerned with the intention to stay temporarily, the GS Requirement was concerned with academic credibility and whether a student can and must comply with their visa conditions. Therefore, students will now need to clarify and provide basic details. This includes the study plans, clear reliance on past education or existing work, and ties to their home country.

Confirmation of Enrollment & Visa Fee Hike

As of July 2025, students will need a valid Confirmation of Enrolment (Coe) before applying for a visa. The visa fee has also been revised to AUD 1,600, contingent upon increased administrative and compliance efforts. This means that only qualified, pre-enrolled students should submit a visa application.

Not every student is in a position to meet the requirements of paying the revised fee of AUD 1,600. This means that many Indian students will not be able to even apply for a study visa. Hence, it can hamper their dream to study in Australia.

Priority Processing

This directive prioritises visa applications based on the field of study. Applicants pursuing degrees in healthcare and engineering potentially benefit from faster processing times due to Australia's identified skills shortages in these sectors, but others may not.

Therefore, students who are applying for fields other than healthcare and engineering will have to face even greater challenges in processing. This can lead to delays in graduation, which affects students’ ability to apply for a job. Hence, the burden is on students to deal with the finances as well as the need to find a job sooner to comply with the dynamic environment.

Temporary Graduate Visa Age Gap

The age cap for applying for a Temporary Graduate visa has gone down to 35 years of age. For doctoral and master’s degrees, there are some exceptions. This change aligns with Australia’s preference for younger, skilled students, to insert new students into the workforce for good.

Therefore, students who are older and have limited skills will have a hard time getting into the academic scene in Australia.

Restriction On Onshore Visa Switching

From July 2025, students on visitor or temporary visas can no longer lodge a student visa application from within Australia. This closes a loophole that was being used to extend stays and ensures that only genuine student applicants can apply offshore. Hence, the colleges and universities in Australia will have more time to go through each application, which makes the process even more seamless.

Higher English Language Requirements

Minimum IELTS scores have also risen to 6.0 overall (with some institutions even requiring 6.5+). This indicates a push for improved academic performance and graduate employability. The policy aims to support students to be linguistically better prepared before attending an Australian university.

Compared to before, Indian students now have to perform even on the IELTS exam to get into their desired college or university. Thus, the preparation must start early on to meet the constant requirements of joining your dream organisation.

Regional Study Incentives

Studying in regional Australia can provide benefits such as longer post-study work rights and extra migration points. These incentives are designed to ease pressure on metropolitan areas and provide solutions for skill shortages in other areas of Australia.

What Does This Mean For Indian Students Going To Australia?

To get into the academic institution of their choice in Australia, Indian students have to start preparing early. This includes the likes of all the essential documents required before submission. Getting admission also means doing in-depth research on the course structure, knowing about the faculty, and financial planning to move forward.

Although there are going to be moments when your study visa might get rejected. But worry not! You just need to clarify the reasons, and you are good to go. If you want to take a step further, then raise an appeal. As more and more restrictions are on the way for Indian students, there’s going to be a whole lot of academic stress.

What's Next For Students?

This comes as a straight guideline against students who do visa hopping. For others, it comes as a shock because students who are on a visitor visa or temporary visa will not be able to shift from that status to a student visa while remaining in Australia. And if they have the intention to apply for a student visa, they first have to leave the country and do so.

As for students who have applied and submitted their visa applications before the new changes came in need to monitor updates. Therefore, Indian students need to stay proactive and be optimistic about the new changes.

The Final Word

The latest changes to Australia’s student visa rules are a key turning point in the way the country controls international education. These changes will most significantly affect Indian students. Stricter measures such as the Genuine Student (GS) requirement, higher visa fees, tighter restrictions regarding age and language eligibility, and more have sparked a new debate regarding the issue at hand. This also means maintaining educational integrity, with alignment with the workforce being equally important. While these policies aim to further the academic integrity of courses and endeavour to address labour market deficiencies, they bring additional financial, procedural, and emotional barriers for many would-be aspirants. Therefore, the advice from the experts would be to keep an eye on any developments concerning the Australian student visa.