Bangladesh ‘at risk’ as Australia rejects record number of student visas

Australia's tougher immigration policy has left a clear mark on its student visa statistics, with Bangladesh remaining in the highest-risk Tier 3 category under the latest rating for the visa programme.

The Department of Home Affairs updated its country and institution risk ratings on Wednesday. The new assessment covers visa outcomes from Jul 1, 2025 to Jun 30, 2026.

An analysis by Times Higher Education, an international higher education magazine, and data from the department show that student visa refusal rates for international applicants have risen to record levels.

Approval rates for Bangladesh and other major source countries have fallen to their lowest levels on record.

Times Higher Education, which analysed the department's 21-year dataset, reports that only 24 percent of Bangladeshis applying for higher education visas from outside Australia were approved in August.

Applications from Bangladesh fell 83 percent from the same month last year, while the number of visas granted fell 93 percent.

India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and Colombia also sit in the high-risk Tier 3 category. Of the 10 main source countries, only China is in the low-risk Tier 1 category.

Ratings for institutions have shifted too. The number of universities in Level 2 has risen from 13 to 22.

Universities say they cannot fill their international student quotas because of the government's tighter rules.

Australian Immigration Minister Tony Burke has said the crackdown is aimed at tackling applicants’ lack of adequate financial capacity.

The country’s opposition MPs have criticised the high refusal rate as “opaque and inexplicable”.

Experts say Tier 3 does not mean Bangladeshi applicants will be automatically refused. Instead, it determines how much evidence of financial capacity and English proficiency an application must include.

The stricter requirements and changes to institution ratings have nevertheless made the path to higher education in Australia more challenging for Bangladeshi students, according to them.