{"id":18315,"date":"2026-10-25T22:14:35","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T22:14:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/?p=18315"},"modified":"2026-10-25T22:18:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T22:18:53","slug":"student-visa-holders-australia-september-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/student-visa-holders-australia-september-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Student visa holders fall to 2017 levels. Research students hit a record."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Inside International Education<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On 30 September 2026 there were 551,341 student visa holders in Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-11-1024x538.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-11-1024x538.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-11-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-11-768x403.png 768w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-11-1536x806.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-11.png 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>That is 83,329 fewer than a year earlier, a fall of 13.1 per cent. It is 123,382 below the September 2024 peak of 674,723. Leave out the COVID years and you have to go back to September 2017 (513,104) to find a lower number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The headline is not the whole story. Higher Education is holding up far better than the total suggests, and Postgraduate Research is at an all-time high. The fall sits mostly in vocational education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where the fall happened<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-12-1024x538.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18318\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-12-1024x538.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-12-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-12-768x403.png 768w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-12-1536x806.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-12.png 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">VET carries most of the drop<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>VET student visa holders fell from 123,561 to 79,871 in twelve months. That is 43,690 fewer students, more than half of the total decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the September 2023 peak there were 180,411 VET student visa holders. The sector has lost 55.7 per cent of that in three years. It is now the lowest September figure since 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The largest VET source countries have roughly halved:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Philippines: 15,041 to 7,633 (-49.3 per cent)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India: 12,802 to 6,524 (-49.0 per cent)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Colombia: 13,623 to 7,743 (-43.2 per cent)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thailand: 9,666 to 6,386 (-33.9 per cent)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Brazil: 8,888 to 5,841 (-34.3 per cent)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Independent ELICOS is down 13.0 per cent to 13,288. That is lower than any pre-COVID September in a series that goes back to 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Higher Education is also down<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Higher Education fell 9.7 per cent to 392,241. That is still above September 2019 (388,215) and the third highest September on record, behind only 2024 and 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because VET fell faster, Higher Education now makes up 71.1 per cent of all student visa holders. In September 2019 it was 61.3 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The country picture is mixed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>China: 117,576 to 107,412 (-8.6 per cent)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India: 86,097 to 67,526 (-21.6 per cent)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nepal: 50,470 to 45,848 (-9.2 per cent)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bangladesh: 23,250 to 24,956 (+7.3 per cent)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Vietnam: 20,026 to 19,668 (-1.8 per cent)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Across all sectors, Indian student visa holders fell from 101,668 to 76,969, down 24.3 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Postgraduate Research has grown<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There were 38,307 Postgraduate Research student visa holders on 30 September 2026. That is the highest number in the data, which starts in December 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Up 15.8 per cent on September 2025 (33,068)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Up 40.5 per cent on September 2019 (27,259)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>China remains the largest source (7,047), followed by Sri Lanka (2,911) and Bangladesh (2,786)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nepal grew fastest, from 1,597 to 2,672 (+67.3 per cent)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where the students went<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The same snapshot shows two categories moving the other way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) holders rose from 239,324 to 277,832, up 16.1 per cent. The Post-Higher Education Work stream alone grew from 201,186 to 236,518.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bridging visa holders (excluding Bridging E) rose from 405,150 to 445,678, up 10.0 per cent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-13-1024x538.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18319\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-13-1024x538.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-13-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-13-768x403.png 768w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-13-1536x806.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-13.png 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The data does not track individuals, so it cannot say how many former students sit in each group. The direction is still clear. Fewer people are holding student visas. More are holding the visas that come after study or waiting on a decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The queue at the Tribunal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of those waiting are at the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART). On 31 August 2026 there were 53,357 active reviews of refused subclass 500 student visas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-14-1024x538.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-14-1024x538.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-14-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-14-768x403.png 768w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-14-1536x806.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-14.png 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>That is roughly one active student refusal review for every ten student visa holders in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Study visas make up 53,984 of the 83,847 active cases in the ART migration caseload. Almost two in three.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Student refusals alone are 70.6 per cent of all active visa refusal reviews (75,577).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In July and August 2026 the Tribunal received 2,846 student refusal reviews and finalised 2,912. The queue is barely moving.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>At that pace, clearing the current queue would take about three years, even with no new lodgements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Where the Tribunal made a decision on the merits, it set aside or remitted 1,361 and affirmed 397. That is 77 per cent set aside or remitted. More than a third of finalised cases were withdrawn before a decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"614\" src=\"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-15-1024x614.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18321\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-15-1024x614.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-15-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-15-768x461.png 768w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-15-1536x922.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-15.png 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Post-study reviews show the same pattern on a smaller scale. Refused subclass 485 reviews were set aside in 84 per cent of finalisations (362 of 431), with 2,882 still active.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Protection reviews run very differently. The Tribunal&#8217;s protection list had 35,608 active cases on 31 August 2026, a median of 91 weeks to finalise, and only 8 per cent of finalisations set aside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What this means for migration and education agents<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A practice built on onshore VET and ELICOS student renewals has shrunk by more than a third in a year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Higher Education and research remain the stable core of the student market.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The growing caseload is post-study: 485 holders and people on bridging visas. Their next step is a skilled, employer-sponsored or partner pathway, which is more complex and carries more compliance weight.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Student refusals that go to review are more likely to be overturned than upheld when the Tribunal decides them, but the wait is measured in years. The file a decision maker reads in 2028 is the one that was put together in 2025 or 2026.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Source country mix is shifting. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The total is the lowest since 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is your practice built to RUN?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"689\" height=\"249\" src=\"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-10.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18316\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-10.png 689w, https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-10-300x108.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 689px) 100vw, 689px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/en\/run-assessment\"><strong>Take the RUN Assessment<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Join the conversation in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/42837186\/\">Built to RUN LinkedIn group<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/en\/contact-page\">book a time to talk<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Source: Department of Home Affairs, BP0019 Number of Temporary Visa Holders in Australia at 30 September 2026. Figures include primary and secondary visa holders. Bridging E visa holders are excluded from the report. Administrative Review Tribunal, Migration and Protection Detailed Caseload Statistics 2026-27, 1 July 2026 to 31 August 2026. Set aside includes decisions to vary, set aside or remit. Active cases as at 31 August 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>#InternationalEducation #StudentVisa #AustralianImmigration #HigherEducation #VET #MigrationAgents #PostgraduateResearch #Subclass500 #ART<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Inside International Education On 30 September 2026 there were 551,341 student visa holders in Australia. That is 83,329 fewer than [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":18322,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[128,132],"tags":[287,288,290,89,291,209,193,289,103,222,218,184,292],"class_list":["post-18315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-migration-agents","category-newsletter","tag-administrative-review-tribunal","tag-art","tag-bp0019","tag-higher-education","tag-home-affairs-data","tag-international-education","tag-migration-agents","tag-postgraduate-research","tag-student-visa","tag-subclass-485","tag-subclass-500","tag-vet","tag-visa-refusal-review-category-inside-international-education"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Student visa holders fall to 2017 levels. Research students hit a record. - Educli Academy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"551,341 student visa holders on 30 September 2026, the lowest non-COVID figure since 2017. VET down 35 per cent. Postgraduate Research at a record high.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/student-visa-holders-australia-september-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Student visa holders fall to 2017 levels. Research students hit a record. - Educli Academy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"551,341 student visa holders on 30 September 2026, the lowest non-COVID figure since 2017. VET down 35 per cent. Postgraduate Research at a record high.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/student-visa-holders-australia-september-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Educli Academy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-25T22:14:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-25T22:18:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.educli.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/linkedin-student-visa-holders-september-2026.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"jan karel bejcek\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"jan karel bejcek\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.educli.com\\\/resources\\\/student-visa-holders-australia-september-2026\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.educli.com\\\/resources\\\/student-visa-holders-australia-september-2026\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"jan karel bejcek\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.educli.com\\\/resources\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/54fd2c45b0fa4ad9b939dc8b36f6ec13\"},\"headline\":\"Student visa holders fall to 2017 levels. 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Research students hit a record. - Educli Academy\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.educli.com\\\/resources\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.educli.com\\\/resources\\\/student-visa-holders-australia-september-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.educli.com\\\/resources\\\/student-visa-holders-australia-september-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.educli.com\\\/resources\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/linkedin-student-visa-holders-september-2026.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-25T22:14:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-25T22:18:53+00:00\",\"description\":\"551,341 student visa holders on 30 September 2026, the lowest non-COVID figure since 2017. VET down 35 per cent. 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