Australia's Vision for Sustainable International Education | Australia Study Visa Updates

The Strategic Framework aims to ensure that Australia’s international student program supports the sustainability, quality, and integrity of its world-class international education sector.

The Department of Education will lead targeted sector consultation during the development of the final Strategic Framework, which is expected to be released later this year.

To support implementation and enhance integrity in the sector, the government will also introduce changes to the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act).

These amendments will enable the government to set limits on:

• the number of new enrolments at an education provider, including for particular courses and locations
• delivery of courses identified as having persistent quality and integrity issues
• courses with limited value to Australia’s skills needs.

The Strategic Framework will complement the work delivered by the Department of Home Affairs as part of the Migration Strategy, which includes:

• introducing a priority processing ministerial direction giving priority to low-risk providers (Ministerial Direction 107)
• increasing minimum English language requirements to facilitate student success and prevent migrant worker exploitation
• a new genuine student requirement to ensure student visa applicants genuinely intend to successfully complete a course of study in Australia (replacing the genuine temporary entry requirement)
• increases to the Financial Capacity Requirement for Student and Student Guardian visas
• creating regulations to support suspension powers that prevent unscrupulous education providers from recruiting international students for purposes not intended by their visas.

These measures, including Ministerial Direction 107, will remain in place while the Government works with the international education sector to develop the final Strategic Framework.

The Department of Home Affairs will monitor Student visa application rates during the consultation period, and education providers should note that enrolment activity in 2024, including actions to enroll students following this announcement, will be considered when setting providers’ enrolment levels for 2025. The Minister has existing powers to limit visa grants across a program year.

For more information, please refer to the International Education and Skills Strategic Framework.