Sri Lankan students are among the most affected by Australia’s tightening student visa policies, with new data showing a sharp rise in rejection rates for higher education visas.

According to figures from Australia’s Department of Home Affairs, 38% of student visa applications from Sri Lanka were refused in February 2026, placing the country among the top five with the highest rejection rates.

Nepal recorded the highest refusal rate at 65%, followed by Bangladesh at 51% and India at 40%, while Bhutan stood at 36%.

The data reflects a broader tightening of Australia’s migration policies, particularly targeting international student intake, amid concerns over visa misuse and pressure on housing and infrastructure.

Reports indicate that the overall refusal rate for higher education visas has surged to over 30%, marking one of the highest levels in nearly two decades.

For Sri Lankan students, Australia has long been a preferred destination for higher education, but the rising rejection rates are expected to impact study plans and increase uncertainty for applicants.

Education consultants say the stricter scrutiny means applicants now face tougher requirements, including stronger financial proof, clearer academic pathways, and credible post-study plans.

The development comes as Australia continues to recalibrate its immigration system, with further changes to student visa policies expected in the coming months. (Newswire)

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The Australian Department of Home Affairs has announced the revised Evidence Level update for countries and Education Providers concerning the Simplified Student Visa Framework (SSVF).

Accordingly, the September 2025 Evidence Level update is based on Student visa outcome data from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025.

The Australian Department of Home Affairs announced that the revised Evidence Level update has taken place, effective for applications lodged on or after 30 September 2025.

Departmental systems have been updated to reflect the September 2025 Evidence Levels, while the Document Checklist Tool on the Department’s website Document Checklist Tool (homeaffairs.gov.au) also reflects Evidence Levels as per the September 2025 update.

Based on information shared within education and immigration networks, countries are currently categorised as follows:

• Level 1: Bangladesh, Sri Lanka
• Level 2: India, Bhutan, Vietnam, China, Nepal
• Level 3: Fiji, Philippines, Pakistan

For more information visit: Evidence framework for Education Program (homeaffairs.gov.au). (Newswire)

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The US State Department has revoked more than 6,000 student visas this year, a State Department official said Monday, as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on some international students it says have broken the law.

The visas were revoked because people had stayed after their visas expired or broken the law, the official said, noting that the “vast majority” of those legal violations were for cases of assault, driving under the influence, burglary, and “support for terrorism.”

According to the official, approximately 4,000 of the 6,000 visas were revoked because the visa holders “broke the law.”

Approximately 200 to 300 of those visas were yanked for alleged terrorism under part of the Immigration and Nationality Act that says that foreign nationals may be inadmissible to the US “due to terrorist related activities.”

The thousands of revocations, first reported by Fox News, come as the Trump administration has undertaken aggressive actions towards universities and related to student visas.

Administration officials have particularly targeted international students active in protests against the war in Gaza, accusing those students of antisemitism and of supporting terrorism.

In one high profile case, Tufts University PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk’s visa was canceled, and she was seized by masked federal agents in March and put into ICE detention. A judge ordered her release in May.

In June, the State Department told its embassies and consulates it must vet student visa applicants for “hostile attitudes towards our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.” Applicants will be asked to set their social media profiles to public as part of the vetting, and a diplomatic cable noted that “limited access to, or visibility of, online presence could be construed as an effort to evade or hide certain activity.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has vigorously defended the Trump administration’s policies on student visa revocation.

“There is no constitutional right to a student visa. A student visa is something we decide to give you,” he said in an interview with EWTN in early August. “Visas of every kind are denied every day all over the world. As I speak to you now, someone’s visa application to the US is being denied. So, if I would have denied you a visa had I known something about you, and I find out afterwards that I gave you a visa and I found this out about you, why wouldn’t I be able to revoke your visa?”

According to the State Department, roughly 400,000 student visas, otherwise known as F1 visas, were issued in fiscal year 2024.

Far fewer are expected to be issued this calendar year after new appointments were temporarily suspended, and the new vetting requirements were put in place.

An analysis by NAFSA: Association of International Educators and JB International forecast a potential 30–40 percent decline in new international student enrollment, contributing to a 15% drop in overall enrollment this fall.

“Such an outcome would deprive local economies of $7 billion in spending and more than 60,000 jobs,” NAFSA said in late July.

“Without significant recovery in visa issuance in July and August, up to 150,000 fewer students may arrive this fall,” it said. (CNN)

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The US State Department has instructed US embassies and consulates around the world to pause new student visa appointments as it moves to expand “social media screening and vetting” to all applicants for student visas, according to a diplomatic cable seen by CNN. 

It’s the latest move from the Trump administration that could deter international students from studying at universities in the United States.

The cable, issued on Tuesday morning and signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, comes as the Trump administration has revoked scores of student visas and has attempted to stop foreign students from studying at Harvard University – a move that has been halted by a judge for the time being.

The cable states that the State Department “is conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants, and based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants.”

The State Department has required visa applicants to provide social media identifiers on immigrant and nonimmigrant visa application forms since 2019, a spokesperson said. In addition, it had already called for extra social media vetting of some applicants, largely related to alleged antisemitism. It is unclear what the expanded social media vetting would entail.

However, an expansion of the efforts could severely slow down the overall student visa issuance process. In addition, the pause on new appointments, if it lasts, could create a significant backlog. Former consular officers say that appointments for student visas are typically prioritised at this time of year.

Lawyers who have focused on the issue of student visas are concerned about the implications that this review could have on student enrollment in the fall.

“Now is exactly when students would be applying for visas to start school in August. The timing is no accident. This is designed to significantly damage foreign student enrollment in the fall, and hurt the many universities that rely on these students,” said Charles Kuck, a lawyer working with students whose visas were revoked earlier this year, who is a former president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

While students can technically apply for visas up to a year in advance, the enrollment process at universities means that they cannot typically start that process until the late spring or early summer. The students have to be admitted, put down a deposit and then wait to receive the necessary forms from their schools before they can apply, the former consular officers said.

According to a report from the Institute of International Education, more than 1.1 million international students studied at US higher education institutions in the 2023-2024 school year. Many US universities rely on tuition from international students.

Politico was the first to report the news.

The cable notes that expanded social media screening and vetting of all the applicants for student visas could have “potentially significant implications for consular section operations, processes and resource allocations.”

As a result, the consular sections, which issue visas, will need to take into consideration the workload requirements of each case prior to scheduling them going forward.”

It instructs embassies and consulates, effective immediately, not to add “any additional student or exchange visa…appointment capacity until further guidance is issued,” and to remove “appointments that are available, but not taken as of the release of this cable.”

Appointments that were already scheduled can still take place, according to the cable notes.

“Consular sections should remain focused on consular priorities, including services for U.S. citizens, immigrant visas, and fraud prevention,” it states.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce would not confirm the cable when asked about the matter at a State Department briefing. However, she noted, “We use every tool in our tool chest to vet anyone coming in, who wants to come into this country.” A senior State Department official confirmed the veracity of the cable.

A separate State Department spokesperson said, “Scheduling of nonimmigrant visa interview appointments is dynamic.”

“An embassy or consulate’s capacity reflects the time required for consular officers to adjudicate the cases before them in full compliance with U.S. law, including to ensure applicants do not pose a security or safety risk to the United States,” they said. (CNN)

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The Canadian Government will be further limiting the number of international students permitted to enter the country next year. It’s the government’s latest immigration-related measure to address Canadians’ ongoing housing and affordability concerns.

In 2025, new international student study permits will be reduced by 10 per cent from the 2024 target of 485,000. That will mean 437,000 permits issued next year, with that same target continuing into 2026.

“The international student cap is here to stay,” Immigration Minister Marc Miller told reporters on Wednesday.

In January, Miller first announced a temporary two-year cap on international students to reduce levels by 35 per cent this year. Next year’s number will go down by another 10 per cent.

“I would say that the measures that we’ve taken up to now are working,” Miller said. “You have seen more than anecdotal evidence that there has been an impact on certain rental markets where students are more prevalent.”

The cap is national with each province assigned to its own quotas based on its population.

Miller has previously called the international student system “out of control,” citing examples of abuse from some post-secondary institutions.

But Universities Canada has criticized the federal government’s cap, saying enrolment of international students has dropped by at least 45 per cent from last year, below the intended 35 per cent cut in study permits announced earlier this year.

Miller acknowledged the impact the cap is having on universities but said “they need to adjust their recruitment practices.”

“This is a turbulent year for post-secondary institutions,” Miller said. “I certainly acknowledge that the turbulence is something I think we need to deal with, and what they want is predictability.”

The federal government also announced Wednesday that it’s limiting work permits to spouses of master’s degree students to only those whose program is at least 16 months long, and to spouses of foreign workers in certain sectors with labour shortages. Changes will also be coming this fall to the post-graduation work permit program to align immigration goals and labour market needs.

The international student cap is part of the federal government’s aim to decrease the number of temporary residents in Canada to five per cent over the next three years, down from the current 6.2 per cent.

The federal government has also signalled changes could be coming this fall to permanent resident levels.

In an interview with CTV News back in August, Miller said any upcoming changes to permanent resident levels would not be “cosmetic” but “significant.”

Ottawa’s updated immigration levels plan for 2025 to 2027 will be unveiled this November.

Statistics Canada said the country’s population in 2023 grew faster than it has at any time since the 1950s due to a sharp rise in temporary residents. Canada’s population surpassed 41 million people in the first quarter of 2024, to reach 41,012,563 on April 1, 2024. (CTV News)

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Australia is set to implement stricter visa regulations for foreign students starting this week, it is reported.

According to foreign media, the move is aimed at addressing record-high migration figures that are adding pressure to the country’s rental market. 

From Saturday, English language requirements for student and graduate visas will be increased.

Meanwhile, the government will get the power to suspend education providers from recruiting international students if they repeatedly break the rules.

In a statement, Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said the actions this weekend will continue to drive migration levels down while delivering on commitments to the migration strategy to fix the broken system they inherited.

A new “genuine student test” will also be introduced to further crack down on international students who look to come to Australia primarily to work.

The government says the imposition of “no further stay” conditions will also be used on more visitor visas.

The moves follow a raft of actions last year to close off COVID-era concessions introduced by the former government, including unrestricted working hours for international students. 

Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday shows net immigration rose 60% to a record 548,800 in the year to Sept. 30, 2023, higher than the 518,000 people in the year ending June 2023. (NewsWire/ foreign media)

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