Urging students wishing to study in Australia to be cautious of “migration agents” who fill false information in their applications, Australian High Commissioner Barry O’Farrell said that the “uptick” in fraudulent applications had led to universities in Australia to bar applicants from six Indian States. These include Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, as well as Jammu and Kashmir.
Mr. O’ Farrell, who ends his tenure in India shortly, said that India can never been “ignored” again in Australia given the growing diaspora there, and insisted that Australia welcomes Indians from every part of the country.
“What we see is a failure by migration agents who are letting down students by not completing their forms accurately. We have seen an uptick of false information and fraudulent applications and as a result a very small number of [Australian] universities have turned the tap off on migration agents responsible,” Mr. O’Farrell told journalists at an event organised by the Indian Association of Foreign Affairs Correspondents (IAFAC).
