Previously, one of the biggest international student group in Australia, Nepalese pupils are now among those who face the rejection of the study visas at the most among all other groups.
On the one hand, the ‘big four’ destinations had a marked uptick in Nepalese arrivals, however, Australia was the sole destination that experienced a population shrinkage in 2023.
“Two-year border closure of the Australian country during the pandemic created demand pressure once the borders reopened in 2022. Consequently, Australia approved a significant number of visas to students from Nepal in 2022,” was the key message in Applyboard’s report.
“Even though the diminution in 2023 was anticipated after 2022 which was more or less three years worth of a demand spurt in one year, the 33% decrease in the student visas that were admittedly conferred to Nepali students was evident,” points out the affected group.
Other data provided by the Australian Department of Education, Skills, and Employment also affirm the decrease in the numbers.
Now, visa applications by students who are registered under the relevant programs have been turned down as the Australian government is vigilant about carrying out the necessary measures to evaluate and dismiss the non-genuine providers that are just after students for their money.
Whether the statistics are high or not, at 19% Nepal remains one of the countries with higher ratios of students who tend to leave the country. Nepali students find themselves in a position to apply for an NOC from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology before they study abroad.
So far, more than 650,000 Nepalese students in the last 15 years are happy with the certificate, which they get after taking the exam.
Firstly, last year the Nepalese government banned non-degree study options for outbound mobility, such as vocational, diploma, advanced diploma, and language courses.
According to the new regulations, only those institutions that are on the new list, which has already been greenlighted by the ministry, will be allowed to issue permits to students.
This, along with the new Australian policies, has resulted in a 96% decrease in the number of visas issued for VET in 2023 in comparison to 2022.
It is not only the VET courses that are subject to these restrictions, but the Nepalese government also disapproved higher education programmes abroad.
“We have been using NOC as our procedure for years now, but the sole challenge is that students not only getting a certificate in technical subjects, namely, medical and engineering but also have to pass the eligibility tests to get the NOC,” asserted Bis
Source: https://thepienews.com/australia-bound-nepalese-students-face-record-high-visa-rejections/