Data source: Department of Home Affairs, Study visa statistics, ingested into SVH's production dataset. Figures for the rolling three month window of March to May 2026. Offshore applications only.
This is data reporting only, not migration advice.
The Department of Home Affairs recorded a grant rate of 50.5% for Bhutanese offshore student visa applicants in the March to May 2026 window, based on 1,504 decided applications. The prior window rate was 75.4%, a fall of 24.9 percentage points.
At 1,504 decided applications, Bhutan was the 5th largest offshore market by volume among the top 20 nationalities in the March to May 2026 dataset. The volume is sufficient to produce a rate estimate with reasonable stability.
The 24.9-point fall placed Bhutan 4th for steepest decline by points in the window. Three nationalities recorded larger point falls in the same period: Zimbabwe (down 46.3 points to 43.2%, based on 139 decided applications, from a prior rate of 89.4%), Nigeria (down 31.4 points to 52.1%, based on 144 decided applications), and Philippines (down 26.4 points to 39.2%, based on 1,315 decided applications).
On 10 January 2026, the Department of Home Affairs published, through VisaHQ, a reclassification of Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh to Evidence Level 3, effective 8 January 2026. Evidence Level is a processing category within DHA's web evidentiary tool that affects documentary requirements for visa applicants from each listed country. The Department has not published a statement attributing the March to May 2026 grant rate movement to the reclassification. The reclassification and the rate movement are both recorded facts in the dataset; no causal relationship has been established in published material.
Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh were all reclassified to Evidence Level 3 in January 2026. India and Nepal are the two largest offshore source markets by volume. Their respective rate movements in the March to May 2026 window are covered in separate SVH dataset publications. Bhutan's 1,504 decided applications make it the largest source market among the four reclassified nationalities outside of India and Nepal.
Among nationalities with comparable absolute rates in the window, Sri Lanka recorded 53.3% of 1,186 decided applications, a fall of 16.3 points. Bhutan's 50.5% sat above Zimbabwe (43.2%) and Philippines (39.2%) in absolute terms in the same window.
This article covers offshore applications only. The offshore dataset records applicants who were outside Australia at the time of decision. No onshore Bhutan data has been included in this report.
At 24.9 points, the fall is the steepest recorded for Bhutan in the windows held in SVH's production dataset at the time of publication. The March to May 2026 result represents one observation in the series. Rate movements in a single window reflect the composition of applications decided within that period, and the March to May 2026 group of applicants is the most recent available.
The Department of Home Affairs has not published commentary on individual nationality movements in the March to May 2026 window. The statistics are published as tabulated counts and rates by nationality without accompanying explanation for individual country results.
Individual circumstances vary. This article is general information, not migration or legal advice. For guidance on a specific application, consult a MARA registered migration agent.
Pro shows the same breakdown across all 20 highest-volume nationalities in a single side-by-side table, with trailing rate movement for each window.
Sources
- Department of Home Affairs, Study visa statistics: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-statistics/statistics/visa-statistics/study. Rolling three month window, March to May 2026.
- Department of Home Affairs, Evidence Level reclassification (Bhutan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh to Level 3), published via VisaHQ, 10 January 2026, effective 8 January 2026.
StudyVisaHub is not a registered migration agent and does not provide immigration assistance. This article reports published Australian Government information and is general information only.