Australia has announced a 12-month suspension on new applications from vocational education and training (VET) providers seeking approval to enrol international students, as part of a broader crackdown on low-quality and non-genuine education operators.
The suspension, which came into effect on May 19, applies to new applications for CRICOS registration and requests to add new courses under the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).
According to the Australian government, the temporary pause will remain in place until May 19, 2027, and is intended to allow regulators to conduct deeper integrity checks, focus on existing applications, and monitor market behaviour more closely.
The move follows growing scrutiny over Australia’s international education sector, particularly the vocational education and English-language training segments, amid concerns about visa misuse, market oversaturation, and poor-quality providers.
The Australian government clarified that applications submitted before May 19, 2026, will continue to be processed under existing procedures. Public institutions such as government schools, TAFEs, and Table A universities are exempt from the suspension.
Assistant Minister for International Education Julian Hill said Australia remained open to genuine students, but the government needed to protect the country's reputation for high quality education.
"Suspending new registrations to teach international students VET or English language onshore is not a decision taken lightly," he said.
"It will allow the government to address integrity concerns about new market entrants and over-saturation in the international VET and ELICOS English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students sectors," he added.
The reforms are linked to broader legislative changes introduced through Australia’s international education and migration policy framework, including powers allowing the government to temporarily pause provider registrations.
