The Australian Government is implementing new measures to support the integrity and sustainability of the international education sector. Although the Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Quality and Integrity) Bill 2024 has not yet passed, the Department of Education and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations have begun guiding providers with 2025 indicative allocations for New Overseas Student Commencements (NOSCs). These allocations will now inform offshore student visa processing priorities under the newly introduced Ministerial Direction 111, effective from 19 December 2024. This new directive replaces Ministerial Direction 107 and introduces a tiered visa processing approach based on each provider’s prioritisation threshold.

Under Ministerial Direction 111, offshore student visa applications are divided into two categories. Providers who have issued Confirmations of Enrolment (CoEs) for up to 80% of their indicative NOSC allocation for 2025 will receive Priority 1 visa processing. This high-priority status applies to the higher education and vocational education and training (VET) sectors, among others. All other applications, including those from providers that exceed the 80% threshold, subsequent entrants, and unclassified visa types, will receive standard (Priority 2) processing. To assist providers in tracking their allocation status, the PRISMS platform now offers the NOSC Identification Export Report, which includes key data such as prioritisation percentages and exemption details.

As the sector adapts to these changes, the Education Agents Association of Australia (EAAA) encourages education agents to familiarise themselves with Ministerial Direction 111 and ensure providers understand how their visa processing priority may be impacted. With growing emphasis on compliance and data integrity, staying informed will be essential in supporting students and institutions alike. Agents are urged to use this period to assist providers in managing their CoEs within prioritisation thresholds and in understanding the implications of these new guidelines on their international recruitment strategies.