{"id":16556,"date":"2025-11-10T22:26:23","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T22:26:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/?p=16556"},"modified":"2026-03-02T03:01:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T03:01:17","slug":"ministerial-direction-115-what-private-vet-elicos-providers-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/ministerial-direction-115-what-private-vet-elicos-providers-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Ministerial Direction 115: What Private VET & ELICOS Providers Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Australian Government has released Ministerial Direction 115 (MD115)<\/strong>, which will replace MD111<\/strong> and take effect on 14 November 2025<\/strong>. This directive introduces a new framework for prioritising offshore student visa (subclass 500) applications, aligned with the National Planning Level settings for 2026 and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While MD115 is not labelled as a \u201ccap,\u201d it creates a priority-based processing order<\/strong> that will significantly influence how quickly visas are granted\u2014particularly for private VET providers relying on offshore markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How the New System Works<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

MD115 ranks offshore student visa applications according to each provider\u2019s PRISMS enrolment numbers,<\/strong> compared to their indicative allocation<\/strong> of new overseas student commencements for that calendar year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once a provider reaches certain milestones, visa processing priority changes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Provider Position<\/strong><\/td>Processing Category<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Less than 80%<\/strong> of allocation<\/td>Priority 1<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Between 80% \u2013 115%<\/strong><\/td>Priority 2<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Above 115%<\/strong><\/td>Priority 3<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Major Impacts on Private VET Providers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Slower visas past 80%<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once you exceed 80%<\/strong> of your indicative allocation, students move into Priority 2<\/strong>, which brings slower processing and more integrity checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Recruitment must be staged<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Colleges that normally process large offshore intakes at once may need to spread COEs across months<\/strong> to avoid triggering Priority 2 too early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Competitive disadvantage against TAFE and universities<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

TAFEs and public universities are protected under multiple Priority 1 categories. This means they often maintain faster visa decisions<\/strong> for the same student markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Growing reliance on ELICOS pathways<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Standalone ELICOS students are always Priority 1<\/strong>, regardless of allocations. For some VET providers, ELICOS-first packages may become a strategic necessity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What MD115 Does (and Doesn\u2019t) Change About Country Risk<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

MD115 does not<\/strong> change country-risk rankings or create new risk rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However:<\/p>\n\n\n\n