Student visa changes November 2025 – what we know so far

What is confirmed

1. For the Student visa (subclass 500) (for study in Australia):
   
   • From 1 July 2025 the base visa application fee was increased to A$2,000 
   • Work-rights remain restricted for most student visa holders to 48 hours per fortnight while the course is in session, with exemptions for Masters by research or a Doctoral degree students
   • Ministerial Direction No. 111 prioritises or slow-process student-visa applications for providers 
   • Informal caps for VET and Higher Ed providers are in place
     

What’s coming: proposed and important updates for agents & providers

1. A further change is expected to take effect in mid-November 2025 where a third processing lane may be introduced for institutions/providers that have exceeded their quota, meaning their visa applications will be processed even more slowly.
   
2. A proposal to increase the allowable work hours for student visa holders during terms from 48 hours to 60 hours per fortnight, starting 1 July 2026 (if passed).
   
   • Agents / providers should keep this in mind for marketing (students often ask about how many hours they can work) but not yet assume it’s current policy.
     
3. Proposed enrolment planning levels for 2026 around 295,000 new international students.
   

Key Compliance/Operational Implications for Agents & Providers

• Agents should ensure partner institutions are aware of their quota status and whether they are nearing or have exceeded their allocated places to avoid processing delays.
  
• Ensure all CoEs (Confirmation of Enrolment) are correct and aligned with the course of study.
  
• Work-hour limits remain in effect (48 hours/fortnight) unless they are in a research masters or doctorate. Agents should not overpromise work rights.
  
• Students must be aware of high visa charges and high visa refusal rates and factor this in.
  
• Genuine student intent: provide robust documentation and evidence with visa applications.

What we don’t know yet

• Changes to threshold criteria for visa processing.
  
• Whether the proposed working hours allowance of 60 hours/fortnight will apply to all sectors or only some.
  
• Whether there will be new conditions for students transferring between courses (e.g., how early they can transfer).
  
• Change to Visa application fees for shorter courses.
  

What this means for your strategy

• Opportunity: Providers and agents who are well-compliant and have strong student support will be more attractive (because of processing priority).
  
• Challenge: More competition among agents and providers for quota-space means you’ll need to emphasise quality over quantity; agents need to be highly selective and compliance-focused.

How Educli Helps

Educli is built for the new compliance era. Our platform centralises everything agents need to manage risk, track students, and maintain regulatory confidence.

• CRM with Compliance Logic
• Agents performance monitoring 
• Document Control & SOP Support
• Real-Time Alerts & Status Tracking
• Training Modules for Agents and staff

Educli helps you stay ahead of visa changes with real-time tracking, provider risk management, and agent training tools.

Speak with our team and see how it works https://www.educli.com/en/contact-us 

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