The Department of Education quietly released its latest ‘Visa Prioritisation Status’ dataset on 6 February, revealing that offshore student-visa applications rose 8 per cent week-on-week as universities finalised offers for Semester 1 2026. The spreadsheet ranks providers by risk on a four-tier scale under Ministerial Direction 115, determining how quickly a student’s subclass 500 application is processed.
Group of Eight universities retained Tier 1 status, enjoying median processing times of 12 calendar days, while several private VET colleges slipped into Tier 3 amid academic-integrity concerns, pushing estimated wait times beyond eight weeks.
For students or HR teams who need extra certainty, VisaHQ’s Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) offers real-time requirement checks, document-preparation tools and proactive status alerts, making it easier to navigate shifting tier rules and keep enrolment or relocation plans on track.
![Government updates weekly Student-Visa Prioritisation list as application volumes climb]()
For multinational companies that sponsor dependants of inbound assignees, the update offers a barometer of likely lead-times. Tier shifts can materially affect relocation start dates; HR teams are therefore advised to monitor the weekly feed and adjust mobilisation schedules accordingly.
The Department said it modified the dataset format to include ‘last modified’ timestamps after media criticism of transparency. Industry bodies welcomed the change but reiterated calls for a real-time API.
Separately, Education Minister Jason Clare told parliament that overall visa service standards remained “within target”, but flagged that fraud detection algorithms added “necessary friction” at the height of the intake cycle.
Group of Eight universities retained Tier 1 status, enjoying median processing times of 12 calendar days, while several private VET colleges slipped into Tier 3 amid academic-integrity concerns, pushing estimated wait times beyond eight weeks.
For students or HR teams who need extra certainty, VisaHQ’s Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) offers real-time requirement checks, document-preparation tools and proactive status alerts, making it easier to navigate shifting tier rules and keep enrolment or relocation plans on track.
For multinational companies that sponsor dependants of inbound assignees, the update offers a barometer of likely lead-times. Tier shifts can materially affect relocation start dates; HR teams are therefore advised to monitor the weekly feed and adjust mobilisation schedules accordingly.
The Department said it modified the dataset format to include ‘last modified’ timestamps after media criticism of transparency. Industry bodies welcomed the change but reiterated calls for a real-time API.
Separately, Education Minister Jason Clare told parliament that overall visa service standards remained “within target”, but flagged that fraud detection algorithms added “necessary friction” at the height of the intake cycle.
