Zimbabwe is in the group of countries targeted by the Australian government as it cracks down on visa fraud and scrutinises their ability to finance life in Australia. Other targeted countries include India, Mauritius, Nepal, Brazil and Pakistan.
Students from these targeted countries will be subject to more stringent interviews and will also have limited access to visa applications online. Applicants who are suspected to be at risk of cheating the system will also be called in for face-to-face interviews to determine if they are legitimate students.
Theage reports that,
The one-off dumping of cash in a bank account or enrolment in lesser-known institutions are among triggers understood to invite extra scrutiny by immigration officials. By contrast, a PhD student enrolled at a sandstone university would be less likely to raise red flags.Senator Evans said the measures would help to combat fraud. ”These measure are consistent with those used by other countries that receive large numbers of student visa applications, such as the United States,” he said.
Online visa applications will be curbed. Migration agents shown to have abused the ”eVisa” system with false documentation in the past may be blocked, as well as agents who have been inactive.
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