Australian student visa priority processing slashes wait time to minimum of one week

The priorities are outlined in Ministerial Direction 115 (MD115), issued by the government on Monday and effective from Friday.

Accordingly, student visa applications will be evaluated across three priority levels. Processing times depend on the number of new international student enrollment quotas at each university.

Students applying through providers operating below 80% of their allocation (Priority 1) will have the quickest visa turnaround — usually 1–4 weeks after submission.

Those linked to providers at 80–115% capacity (Priority 2) should allow roughly 5–8 weeks for processing.

Applications tied to providers exceeding 115% (Priority 3) are handled last, with expected processing times of about 9–12 weeks.

The government notes that "these periods are based on 2025 lodgements and processing resources and can change, particularly when lodgements increase, and in peak periods. Allocation times are subject to change.

"Processing times vary depending on volumes, integrity checks, completeness of applications and applicants meeting the identity, character and health requirements," according to an announcement of the Department of Home Affairs.

MD115 will replace MD111, which did not clearly specify processing times for new student visa applications across institution groups.

Last year, backlogs occurred in many places. In Vietnam, for example, over 90% of Australian student visa applications were processed within three–five months, which is longer than usual, Renee Deschamps, deputy Australian ambassador to Vietnam, said at an event in Hanoi in August last year.

Julian Hill, Australia's Deputy Minister for International Education, said the new regulation encourages universities to comply with their authorized student enrollment caps. Institutions that manage enrollments according to their quotas will receive priority.

"Under the new direction, visa processing resources are allocated to support all education providers on an equitable basis. Higher processing priorities are afforded to providers who manage their international student enrollments broadly in accordance with their indicative allocations under the National Planning Level.

The direction will also promote greater utilization of allocations to more fairly respond to the needs of small vocational education and training providers," he was quoted in a statement on the website of Ministers' Media Center on Nov. 10.

Some groups of international students will continue to receive the highest priority, similar to Direction 111. This includes students in ELICOS programs (intensive English), non-award programs, TAFE (vocational training), pilot programs, and postgraduate programs. Recipients of government scholarships are also included in this group.

Hill said that policies managing international education have been "effective, returning student numbers to a more sustainable level."

"Growth has moderated, with student lodgements down by over 26% last year and commencements down on last year by 16%," he said, adding that the new directive "continues to build on the government’s work to maintain the quality, integrity and sustainability of our international education system."

Australia remains one of the most attractive study destinations globally, along with the U.S. and Canada.

In 2022, Australia introduced several open policies to attract workers after the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the influx of foreign workers and students then put pressure on the housing market, prompting the government to tighten regulations on international students to contain the pressure.

Among those policies, post-graduation work periods for international students were reduced from 4–6 years to 2–4 years; English requirements for international students were increased to IELTS 6.0–6.5, up 0.5 points; financial proof requirements rose to AU$29,710 (US$19,584), 20% higher than before; while student visa application fees increased to AU$2,000, among the highest in the world.

The government last December introduced the MD111 to manage international student numbers by slowing down visa processing once universities reach a predetermined target.

The direction establishes two categories for student visa processing: "high priority" and "standard priority." Universities will receive expedited visa approvals until 80% of their allocated international student target is reached. After this threshold, visa processing times will be slowed.

Government statistics show that nearly 200,000 international students arrived in Australia in February 2025, a 12.1% increase over the previous year and 7.3% above pre-Covid levels in February 2019.

As of July, nearly 800,000 international students were in Australia, including about 33,000 Vietnamese students, ranking fourth in number.