Pakistan, Jan. 13 -- Australia has tightened checks for student visa applicants from India, moving it to the 'highest risk' category along with Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, according to Australian and Indian media.

The Times of India reported on Sunday that the re-rating of the countries was out of cycle, quoting Australian media, while the administration said this was triggered by "emerging integrity risks".

According to the TOI report, the administration did not cite any specific reason for which India had been assigned to a new category. However, it added that the move came after reports of "fake degree busts" in India which had reached international media.

"India alone accounts for almost 140,000 of Australia's 650,000 internatio...