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 53.3% for Sri Lankan offshore student visa applicants in the March to May 2026 window. The figure was based on 1,186 decided applications, placing Sri Lanka 12th by volume among the top 20 nationalities in the offshore dataset for that period.
The prior window rate for Sri Lanka stood at 69.6%. The fall of 16.3 percentage points placed Sri Lanka 6th by steepest point decline among all nationalities tracked in the offshore data for the March to May 2026 period.
Five nationalities recorded steeper point falls in the same window. Zimbabwe fell 46.3 points to 43.2%, based on 139 decided applications, from a prior rate of 89.4%. Nigeria fell 31.4 points to 52.1%, based on 144 decided applications. Philippines fell 26.4 points to 39.2%, based on 1,315 decided applications. Iran fell 25.6 points in the same period. Kenya fell 25.6 points to 30.6%.
Among nationalities with comparable absolute rates in the window, Bhutan recorded 50.5% of 1,504 decided applications, a fall of 24.9 points from 75.4%. Sri Lanka's 53.3% remained above both Zimbabwe (43.2%) and Philippines (39.2%) in absolute terms. Kenya (30.6%) and Philippines (39.2%) each recorded larger point falls than Sri Lanka despite finishing at lower absolute rates in the window.
The rest of this article: Sri Lanka's offshore student visa grant rate fell 16.3 percentage points to 53.3% of 1,186 decided applications in the March to May 2026 window, the 6th steepest point decline among top-20 nationalities.. Source: Department of Home Affairs · 2026-05-31
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