Starting 1 January 2025, candidates applying for a student visa in Australia must include a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) with their application. The Department of Home Affairs will no longer accept a letter of offer for these applications.
This rule will apply only to visa applications lodged on or after 1 January 2025. If you submit your application before this date with just a letter of offer, it won’t be affected.
Why is this important?
If you don’t include a CoE when applying, your application will be considered invalid. This
means:
* Immigration officers cannot assess the application.
* A bridging visa (which enables you to stay legally in Australia while your application is processed) won’t be issued.
There is no change for students in programs supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Defence, or secondary exchange programs. These students can still provide alternative evidence of enrolment.
Maintaining Your Visa Status
If you are trying to study with your current visa, which is about to expire, and you cannot get a CoE in time, you must:
* Leave Australia before your visa expires, or
* Look into other visa options.
It’s also important to note that some visas now limit your ability to apply for a student visa in Australia. Make sure you check the rules for your specific situation.
Ministerial Direction 107 Replaced by Ministerial Direction 111
The Australian Government values the international education sector and is dedicated to
ensuring its quality, honesty, and reliability.
Ministerial Direction 107 (MD107), which showed the processing of Student Guardian visas and offshore Subclass 500 (student) visa applications, was withdrawn on 18 December 2024.
MD107 was designed to help education providers recruit and handle visa applications.
However, it affects education providers in various ways, highlighting the need for a new approach.
On 19 December 2024, Ministerial Direction 111 (MD111) replaced MD107. MD111 applies to all pending and new overseas student visa applications accommodated from this date onward. It introduces a new priority-based system to manage processing and ensure justice across
education providers and regions.
Under MD111:
* Priority 1: High processing is granted to offshore Student visa applications linked to
higher education and vocational education providers that have not yet reached their
prioritization threshold. This threshold is 80% of their 2025 indicative allocation of new
overseas student commencements, as tracked by PRISMS (the Department of
Education’s enrolment management system).
* Once a provider reaches this threshold, visa processing moves to Priority 2—Standard.
This system make sure a balanced approach to visa processing, supporting regional and smaller
providers while maintaining efficiency and fairness across the sector.
Key Details About MD111
* Faster processing for Priority 1—High: Applications in this category will move through the system more quickly than Priority 2.
* No cap or approval criteria changes: MD111 does not limit the number of applications or change the criteria for granting or refusing a visa.
The Department of Home Affairs will continue prioritizing offshore Student visa applications, mainly as Semester 1 of 2025 approaches. Onshore applications will also proceed as usual.
Tips for Students
To avoid delays, students should lodge their visa applications as early as possible and include all required information at the time of submission.
Contact us today for personalized advice and step-by-step support!
The development of MD111 was informed by extensive consultations with the international education sector throughout 2024. The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, and Home Affairs worked closely with education providers to shape this new system.
Information about MD111 and its processes is being shared through webinars, discussions with industry representatives, and online updates.
Eligibility for Priority1— High Processing
Priority 1: High applies to:
* Student visa applications linked to providers that have not reached 80% of their 2025 indicative allocation for new overseas student commencements in higher education and vocational education.
* Specific student categories include those in schools, higher degree research programs, scholarship recipients, TAFE students, and applicants from the Pacific and Timor-Leste.
Priority 2: Standard processing applies to providers that have reached their threshold, subsequent entrants, and other offshore student visa applications.
Indicative provider allocations can be accessed through the Department of Education and Employment and Workplace Relations.
This new approach ensures fairness and efficiency in processing student visas while supporting Australia’s international education goals.
Disclaimer: The above information is not tailored to personal circumstances.
For information relevant to personal circumstances, please book an
appointment with Oracle Immigration Consultant’s expert migration agents in
Australia.
For any inquiries, please contact us at +61 430812158. We are premier Immigration agency and consultancy in Melbourne (Bundoora and Geelong).
