Median student-visa processing down to 33 days—but Indian applicants face EL3 headwinds

Education portal Collegedunia reports that the Department of Home Affairs processed February student-visa applications in a median 33 days, the fastest turnaround since 2023. The improvement follows the 25 March system upgrade and last year’s Ministerial Direction 115, which reordered case prioritisation. Yet the headline figure masks a tougher reality for the sector’s biggest cohort: Indian nationals were classified Evidence Level 3 (EL3) on 8 January 2026, triggering deeper scrutiny of financial and Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) evidence. Under EL3, incomplete or weak files can attract Requests for Further Information (RFIs) that pause the processing clock, extending actual decisions to six–ten weeks. Agents say roughly 30 % of Indian files lodged in March received RFIs within 48 hours under the AI triage system. With most Australian universities closing July-semester enrolments in mid-July, Collegedunia calculates a de-facto 30 April application deadline for Indian students who want a visa in time. For institutions, the elevated risk tier means higher compliance costs: additional document checks, expanded pre-CAS interviews and tighter refund clauses. Downstream, providers relying on onshore course changes to drive revenue may see fewer conversions if rejections climb. Some Victorian institutes have already started capping offers to Indian applicants to protect visa-grant ratios that influence future risk ratings. The episode underlines the dual-track approach of Australia’s migration reset: faster decisions for well-documented cases, but higher refusal rates for those that fall short. Mobility advisers should counsel prospective Indian assignees’ dependants accordingly, ensuring financial proofs have the mandated three-month seasoning and that GTE statements are personalised and specific.