New rules for student visa applications are impacting all pending applications lodged within or outside of Australia post 1 January 2025. Any application made prior to that date are not affected.
The Department of Home Affairs no longer accepts Letters of offer by universities for valid lodgement, students need to include a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) with their application regardless of whether the application is made inside or outside of Australia. The difference between a Letter of Offer and a Confirmation of Enrolment is that the former is only an offer while the latter confirms admission to the course of study and means that the university has accepted the student, and the necessary fees have been paid.
Without the CoE an application is now considered invalid, and a bridging visa cannot be issued. Anyone with a current visa will need to obtain a CoE before the current visa expires or you must leave the country and explore other options.
A proposal for cap on international student enrolments was made aiming to restrict the number of new international students for 2025 to 270,000. The Bill did not pass so the Federal Government is implementing other ways to manage numbers. The Department of Home Affairs said that as of December 2024 there were 532,378 student visa holders in Australia. Immigration staff will be prioritising student visa applications until they near the 270,000 that the government wanted for 2025
In addition to controlling the number of international students coming into Australia the government has introduced higher English language requirements and doubled the visa application fees to $1600.
The minimum test score for a Student visa has increased from International English Language Testing System (IELTS) 5.5 to 6.0 (or its equivalent).
The minimum test score for students undertaking an English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students (ELICOS) course before their main course of study has increased from IELTS 4.5 to 5.0 (or equivalent).
The minimum test score required for students undertaking university foundation or pathway
programs that deliver reputable English language training is IELTS 5.5 (or equivalent).
The test score required for a Temporary Graduate visa has increased from IELTS 6.0 to 6.5 (or equivalent), with a minimum score of 5.5 for each component of the test (reading, writing, speaking, and listening).
The number of onshore student visa refusal has also increased with greater number of appeals pending at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in comparison with the start of 2024.
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