Australia's new rules prioritise international student visa processing

The Australian government has recently implemented ‘Ministerial Direction 111’ (MD111), effective from December 19, 2024, to expedite the processing of offshore student visa applications. This new directive replaces the previous ‘Ministerial Direction 107’ (MD107), which faced criticism.

 

Under the revised MD111, student visas are now classified into two categories: ‘high priority’ and ‘standard priority.’ Universities can benefit from high-priority visa processing for up to 80 per cent of their allocated cap. Once this threshold is reached, remaining applications will be handled under the standard priority category. This policy replaces MD107, which had prioritised visa approvals for sandstone universities and applicants from low-risk countries.

 

The changes apply exclusively to offshore student visa applications for students currently outside Australia. If you have already submitted a student visa application that is yet to be finalised, it will now be processed according to the new MD111 rules.

 

Priority 1

 

Priority processing will be applied to visa applications for higher education providers and Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers that have not yet reached 80 per cent of their projected 2025 New Overseas Student Commencements (NOSC) allocation.

 

A student is considered a New Overseas Student Commencement (NOSC) when:

 

They begin their first higher education or VET course at their initial provider, or

 

They start a higher education or VET course at a different provider.

 

Students will not be counted as an additional NOSC if they:

 

Transfer between higher education or VET courses within the same provider, or

 

Immediately begin a subsequent course at the same provider after completing their initial higher education or VET course.

 

Priority 1 processing applies to the following categories of applicants:

 

School students.

 

Non-award sector students, including short-term exchange students.

 

Independent ELICOS students.

 

Students enrolled in Technical and Further Education (TAFE) courses, including those at Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory.

 

Students enrolled in Aviation Pilot Training Courses.

 

Students undertaking postgraduate research programs.

 

Foreign affairs students, defence students, and those sponsored by the commonwealth.

 

Students receiving foreign government, Australian government, or state and territory scholarships, as outlined on the Department of Education’s website.

 

Students from specific regions within the Pacific and Timor-Leste.

 

Students participating in Transnational Education programs, based on criteria detailed on the Department of Education and Department of Employment and Workplace Relations’ websites.

 

Subsequent entrants who are minors under the following conditions:

 

The minor is unmarried and under 18 years of age at the time of application.

 

The minor is either a dependent child of a primary student visa applicant or holder, or a dependent child of the spouse or de facto partner of a primary student visa applicant or holder.

 

Experts suggest submitting your visa application as early as possible, ensuring all required information and documents are included at the time of submission to facilitate smooth processing. Applications with incorrect details or missing documents may experience delays, and your visa could potentially be denied.