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.
Sri Lanka was the 12th largest nationality by offshore volume in the March to May 2026 window. The ten nationalities above it by volume included India and Nepal, both of which recorded their own distinct rate movements in the same period. Sri Lanka's mid-tier volume position means its result does not dominate the aggregate, but the 16.3-point fall is large enough in absolute terms to be visible in any nationality-level reading of the window.
Sri Lanka's 1,186 decided applications sit mid-range within the top 20 nationalities by offshore count. At that volume, the rate estimate carries reasonable stability: a one-percentage-point shift corresponds to roughly 12 decided applications. The movement from 69.6% to 53.3% represents approximately 194 fewer grants relative to what the prior rate would have produced on the same volume.
The Department of Home Affairs has not published a specific explanation for the movement in Sri Lanka's offshore rate in the March to May 2026 window. The statistics are published by nationality and window period without commentary on individual country results.
This article covers offshore applications only. The offshore dataset records applicants who were outside Australia at the time of decision. No onshore Sri Lanka data has been included in this report.
The figures are drawn from the Department of Home Affairs study visa statistics, ingested into SVH's production dataset. The offshore nationality table for the March to May 2026 period is the source for both the rate and the volume figure. The rolling three-month window covers applications decided within the period, not necessarily lodged within it.
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.
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.