Hyderabad, April 20 -- Several Australian universities are rejecting students from Indian states, including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Jammu & Kashmir, amid concerns over misuse of the education system and student visa fraud.

The decision comes as authorities flagged a surge in fake applicants using student visas as a backdoor to migration rather than education.

Select universities which have faced issues with student applications have imposed the ban. Application processing has either stopped or introduced stricter scrutiny and additional verification procedures for students belonging to the aforementioned states.

Authorities have cited risks to the reputation of their education system due to discrepancies...