As Australia Cracks Down On Indian Visas, MEA Says Matters Are ‘Sovereign Prerogatives’

As per reports, for India, students especially from five states, including Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, UP and Bihar are expected to bear the consequences of the decision.

Commenting on the matter, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a weekly press briefing said, "Visa matters are sovereign matters. Whether Australia wants to issue a visa to X or Y, it's their prerogative. So that is how we look at it."

Citing official data, The Hindu reported that in February 2025, India became the top source country for student visas to Australia, surpassing China. In that month alone, 2,734 Indian students were granted visas, up from 2,398 in January.

As per reports, by the end of February, the total number of visas issued to Indian students had exceeded 5,000.

On April 6, Australian opposition leader Peter Dutton introduced a major proposal aimed at curtailing the number of international students in the country.

The leader reportedly pledged to reduce student intake by 80,000 in an attempt to solve the housing crisis and make home ownership more attainable for young Australians, according to a report by The Australia Today.

According to a report by The Hindu, in a statement on social media platform X, Mr. Dutton said, "ANNOUNCED: We will cap international student numbers and reduce permanent migration by 25% - freeing up nearly 40,000 homes in the first year."

While announcing the proposal, the the Australian leader reportedly criticised the government's current migration strategy which allowed an intake of 1.8 million new arrivals over five years as it bought immense pressure on their strained housing market.

Mr. Dutton also noted that since the previous election, international student numbers had increased by 65%--from 5,20,000 to over 8,50,000--coinciding with a 25% rise in median rent across the country, as per The Hindu.