New South Wales is the second Australian state to stop accepting students from some provinces in central Vietnam. The decision was made due to a recent increase in visa non-compliance by international students.

DE International (DEI), the international unit of the New South Wales Department of Education, has informed its partners in Vietnam that the state will stop accepting applications from students from Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Quang Ninh provinces.

As of October 2023, there were more than 31,000 Vietnamese international students living in Australia, ranking 6th in the number of international students in Australia. This number includes high school students, university and college students, vocational and English language students. Of which, the largest concentration of Vietnamese international students is in Victoria (about 13,400 people), followed by NSW (11,500 people).

The Department of Home Affairs said that about 19% of international students were denied visas in the second half of 2023, the highest in three years. For Vietnamese students, the rate was about 16%.

The decision is said to be in line with the Education Services for Overseas Students Act and is aimed at helping to maintain the integrity of Australia’s visa system.