Sri Lanka is now among low-risk countries in the latest Australian update of its student visa evidence levels.

The Australian Department of Home Affairs has recently updated evidence levels for student visa applications, as noted via the Provider Registration and International Student Management System. The Department uses them to assess the documentation required for student visa applications under the Simplified Student Visa Framework. 

Evidence levels are part of Australia’s risk-management approach to international education, reflecting past student visa compliance and other immigration outcomes. Both education providers and countries of citizenship are assigned evidence levels. The combination of these two factors determines how much documentation that a student must provide. All institutions registered under the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students are assigned an evidence level: Level 1 – Low-risk institutions – minimal extra documentation required. 

Each country is also assigned a risk level, determined by historical data on student visa outcomes. Key factors include: Visa cancellations and refusals; the Overstaying of visas; Applications for protection visas after studying; and Visa refusals due to fraudulent documentation (weighted heavily in risk calculations). When assessing a student visa application, Home Affairs considers both the country and provider evidence levels: Low-risk country plus Low-risk provider (Level 1 plus Level 1): Streamlined process with minimal documentation; and Mixed levels (e.g., Level 1 provider plus Level 3 country): Additional documents may be required, such as proof of English proficiency or the financial capacity. Applicants from lower-risk countries may experience a smoother and faster process. 

Sri Lanka is currently categorised as Level One. 

(Banglay International English Language Testing System Immigration Centre)