After Australia’s visa crackdown on Indians, MEA says visa affairs are “sovereign privilege”

Australian opposition leader Peter Dutton made a major proposal on April 6 to reduce the number of international students in the country. |Photo source: X/Peter Dutton

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs addressed concerns about Australia’s crackdown on Indian visas and pointed out that visa matters are a sovereign privilege for each country.

Asked about Australia having launched visa crackdowns on Indians, especially from five states including Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, UP and Bihar, MEA spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a weekly press conference: “Visa matter is Australia is a sovereign matter.”

Australian opposition leader Peter Dutton made a major proposal on April 6 to reduce the number of international students in the country. He promised to reduce student intake by 80,000, a measure that would help alleviate the housing crisis and make it easier for young Australians to obtain home ownership. Australia today.

“Announcement: We will limit the number of international students and reduce permanent immigration by 25% – release nearly 40,000 homes in the first year,” Mr Dutton said in a statement on social media platform X.

He criticized the current government’s immigration strategy and noted that intake of 1.8 million newcomers over the past five years is putting pressure on the already tight housing market, especially in major urban centers. Mr Dutton also noted that the number of international students has increased by 65% ​​since the last election, from 5,20,000 to over 8,50,000, and the national median rent has increased by 25%.

During this period, new data starting in February 2025 showed that India became the highest source country for student visas in Australia, surpassing China. In that month alone, 2,734 Indian students received visas, up from 2,398 in January. By the end of February, the total number of visas issued to Indian students had exceeded 5,000. The growth in Indian student enrollment is attributed to a combination of factors including Australia’s high-quality education system, robust career prospects and vibrant campus life. Popular research areas for Indian students include IT, engineering, business and healthcare, Australia today Report.