The Department of Home Affairs has updated how processing priorities are assigned for applications for the Subclass 500 (Student) visa. For applications lodged inside Australia, the rule remains that they are assessed in the order of lodgement.
For applications lodged outside Australia, two Ministerial Directions apply depending on the date of lodgement. For applications lodged before 14 November 2025, the assessment follows Ministerial Direction 111 – Order for considering and disposing of offshore Subclass 500 (Student) visa applications.
Under Direction 111, applications are split into two priority levels:
- Priority 1 – High:
- School students
- Non-award sector students, including short-term exchange students
- Standalone ELICOS students
- Students enrolled with a TAFE provider (or specifically identified TAFE courses for Charles Darwin University)
- Students enrolled in a recognised pilot training course
- Students enrolled in postgraduate research (PHD) course
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) sponsored students
- Department of Defence sponsored students
- Foreign and Australian government scholarship students
- Transnational education students
- Students from the Pacific and Timor-Leste
- Subsequent entrants where the application includes a minor (a child below 18 years of age).
- Priority 2 – Standard: Higher Education or Vocational Education and Training (VET) students at providers which have reached their “NEW Overseas Student Commencement” (NOSC) allocation threshold in 2025; and subsequent entrants without a minor.
For applications lodged on or after 14 November 2025, they follow Ministerial Direction 115 – Order for considering and disposing of offshore Subclass 500 (Student) visa applications.
Under Direction 115, applications are split into three priority levels:
- Priority 1 – High: Remains unchanged from Ministerial Direction 111.
- Priority 2: Applies to Higher Education (HE) and Vocational Education and Training (VET) students where the education provider has reached the “Priority Threshold” of its New Overseas Student Commencement (NOSC) allocation and subsequent entrants without a minor.
- Priority 3: Applies to Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training students seeking to study with education providers that have reached their upper threshold.
Processing-time under MD111 and MD115:
- Priority 1: Usually processed within 1-4 weeks of lodgement.
- Priority 2: Usually within 5-8 weeks.
- Priority 3: Usually within 9-12 weeks.
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.
Key Information:
- The priority level of your application is determined at the time you lodge the visa—not afterwards.
- For packaged courses (where you apply for more than one course in a sequence), the “main” Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) usually sets the priority. For example, under MD111, the provider status at the time of lodgement determines the priority.
- If your provider has reached their “priority threshold” or “upper threshold” under their New Overseas Student Commencement allocation (NOSC), that will affect whether you are Priority 2 or Priority 3 under MD115.
- These priority levels do not affect whether your visa will be granted or refused — only how quickly the application is processed.
Click here: Student Visa Processing Priorities