From today, Australia will cancel the priority of considering student visas based on school reputation.

International students at the University of New South Wales, one of the low-risk universities according to the Australian government's assessment

Priority for student visa consideration according to new criteria

Today, December 19, the Australian government announced that it was repealing Directive 107 and replacing it with Directive 111. These directives do not require parliamentary approval and therefore both changes take effect immediately. "The Australian Government acknowledges that the student visa processing regulations under Directive 107 have had a disproportionate impact on education providers," the Australian Department of Home Affairs explained the reason for the change.

Directive 107, introduced and issued in December 2023 by former Australian Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil, requires officials of this department to process student visa applications in order of priority, in which the top criterion is the risk level of the educational institution. This means that international students applying to colleges or universities that are classified as low risk will have their student visas processed faster.

Directive 107 is generally regarded by Australian educators as a “seriously flawed” mechanism that has created a lot of instability in the market while increasing visa refusal rates and suppressing student demand, commented ICEF Monitor . For this reason, the abolition of Directive 107 has been welcomed by the entire international education sector in Australia after a long period of continuous criticism and requests for changes from relevant associations.

Directive 107 has been repealed and replaced by Directive 111. Specifically, the Australian government will require officials to prioritize the processing of student visas for each school until the school reaches 80% of the new international student quota specified in the National Plan (NPL) that the government announced in the enrolment cap bill. Once a school reaches 80% of its quota, it will be placed at the back of the queue, giving priority to schools that have not yet reached 80% of their quota.

This means that the Australian government will still grant student visas to applicants if they apply to schools that have exceeded their international enrolment quotas, but the process will take longer. "Directive 111 is not a quota, nor does it set out criteria for approving or rejecting student visa applications... It is most important that students who intend to study abroad apply for a visa as soon as possible," the statement stressed.

According to the Australian Government, Directive 111 makes student visa applications smoother and fairer, and supports the country in achieving its international education goals.

15% increase in visa application fees

According to The Koala News , the Australian government also decided on December 18 to increase the fee for a post-study work visa (visa 485) by 15% from February 1, 2025, to 2,235 AUD (35 million VND). For those who already have a 485 visa and are re-applying, the fee will increase to 880 AUD (14 million VND). If traveling with relatives, applicants must also pay an additional visa fee.

The 485 visa fee increase follows a new legislative order from Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Minister Tony Burke, The Koala News adds.

A few days earlier, the Australian Department of Home Affairs also changed some regulations on the 485 visa. Specifically, if you want to apply for a 485 visa under the post-university work category, applicants with a graduate diploma must have graduated with a bachelor's, master's or doctorate in the same or the previous academic year, and the field of study of this certificate must be related to the previously received degree.

According to the Australian Department of Education, as of August, there were 803,639 international students studying in Australia. Of these, 36,490 were Vietnamese, ranking 5th. At leading universities, the number of Vietnamese students and researchers accounts for a significant proportion, such as about 600 at the University of Melbourne, 400 at the University of Adelaide, or in the top 10 in terms of quantity at the University of Queensland... Of which, Victoria is the state with the largest concentration of Vietnamese students with 14,994 people.

Institutional risk is a concept introduced in 2016 under the Simplified Student Visa Framework (SSVF). Accordingly, the more international students fail to get a visa after being granted an offer of admission, the higher the risk assessment (Evidence Level) of the institution in the SSVF is at risk of being ranked low (according to 3 levels with level 3 being the lowest ranking).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tu-hom-nay-uc-huy-uu-tien-xet-visa-du-hoc-theo-uy-tin-cua-truong-185241219134016152.htm