Nishi Borra has long been one of the most recognisable voices in the Australia–India international education relationship. As President of the Association of Australian Education Representatives in India (AAERI) and founder of Atlas Education Consultants, he has spent more than two decades helping shape one of Australia’s most important education markets. Now he has added another title to his resume: author.
His new book, From India to Australia: Indian Students, Australian Education and the Aspiration Behind Them, is less an academic text than a practitioner’s history of Australia’s international education journey through Indian eyes. As Borra himself notes, it is a reflection born from “lived experience” rather than scholarly distance, drawing on years of working with students, families, universities and governments.
For anyone who has worked in Australian international education over the past 30 years, much of the history will feel familiar. Yet what makes the book valuable is the perspective. Rather than telling Australia’s story from Canberra or university boardrooms, Borra recounts it from the counselling desks of India, where policy announcements in Australia become life-changing decisions for families thousands of kilometres away.
Chapter three is arguably the heart of the book. It charts Australia’s transformation from a little-known study destination in India during the Colombo Plan era into one of the country’s most popular overseas education choices. Rather than simply listing milestones, Borra links each stage of Australia’s growth to policy decisions that fundamentally changed the market.
He traces the Dawkins reforms that commercialised international education, the introduction of ESOS following the early college collapses, the evolution of student visa policy, the rise of education agents, the creation of AAERI and the migration reforms that increasingly linked education with skilled migration. Along the way, readers are reminded that Australia’s success was never accidental. It was built through decades of policy development, regulatory reform and, occasionally, learning difficult lessons the hard way.
For Koala readers, there is also an interesting sense of déjà vu. Many of the debates dominating headlines today, balancing integrity with growth, managing migration settings, maintaining Australia’s reputation and responding to changing public sentiment, have been recurring themes throughout the sector’s history.
The final chapters shift from history to reflection, and perhaps offer the book’s strongest message.
In Behind Every Visa Application, Borra reminds readers that visa decisions are not simply administrative outcomes but deeply personal moments. Behind every application sits a student, a family, education loans, years of savings and enormous emotional investment. He argues that while integrity must remain central to Australia’s visa system, genuine students deserve transparency, consistency and, where appropriate, a fair second chance after refusals.
His concluding chapters broaden the discussion even further.
Rather than viewing international education purely through migration numbers or export earnings, Borra argues that trust remains the industry’s most valuable asset. Governments have every right to protect borders and maintain visa integrity, he says, but long term success depends on resisting short term political reactions, maintaining quality, supporting ethical recruitment and remembering that students are people before they become statistics.
The closing chapter, The Dream Continues, finishes on an optimistic note. Despite tighter visa settings, political debates and greater scrutiny, Borra believes the aspiration of Indian families to pursue international education remains as strong as ever. The questions may now be more sophisticated, focusing on return on investment and employability, but the belief in education as a pathway to opportunity continues to underpin the Australia–India relationship.
Whether readers agree with every conclusion is almost beside the point.
The real contribution of From India to Australia is that it captures the evolution of Australia’s international education sector from the perspective of someone who has spent 25 years sitting on the other side of the desk. In an era when public discussion often reduces international students to migration statistics or political talking points, Borra’s book serves as a reminder that international education remains, first and foremost, a human story built on aspiration, trust and opportunity.
The Koala congratulates Nishi Borra on publishing what is likely to become a useful addition to the growing body of literature documenting Australia’s international education story, particularly the extraordinary partnership between Australia and India. It is a timely reminder that while policies change and governments come and go, the aspirations of students and families remain remarkably constant.
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