In its first "ASQA Update" of 2026, released on 23 February, the Australian Skills Quality Authority highlighted impending amendments to the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act 2000 and a new Cost Recovery Implementation Statement. The regulator signalled that from 1 July providers enrolling international students will face higher audit fees and mandatory participation in digital data-matching pilots with Home Affairs.
The changes follow last year’s rapid rebound in student arrivals—now the second-largest component of net overseas migration—and aim to stamp out “ghost” colleges issuing non-genuine Confirmation of Enrolment letters. Providers will be required to verify attendance through real-time learning-management-system logs and report course deferrals within 72 hours.
For universities and TAFEs the biggest operational shift is the proposed cap on concurrent enrolments: a student will be allowed to hold a maximum of two active CoEs, closing a loophole often exploited to extend visa duration. Institutions offering packaged English-plus-vocational courses must redesign pathways or risk breaching the cap.
![ESOS Act Amendments Flagged in ASQA’s February Update, Tightening Compliance for Education Providers]()
VisaHQ’s Australian visa specialists (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) can help institutions, agents, and relocating families interpret these rule changes, compile compliant documentation, and lodge Student Subclass 500 applications quickly, minimising the risk of costly delays or rejections as the new ASQA requirements take effect.
ASQA will host webinars throughout March ahead of the annual Declaration on Compliance due by 31 March. Education agents are advised to review marketing statements; penalties for misleading claims about work rights under student visas are set to double to A$166,000 per infringement once the amendments pass.
Corporate mobility teams relocating staff with dependent children should note that tighter provider scrutiny may delay issuance of CoEs required for Student Subclass 500 visas. Early application is recommended for the July intake.
The changes follow last year’s rapid rebound in student arrivals—now the second-largest component of net overseas migration—and aim to stamp out “ghost” colleges issuing non-genuine Confirmation of Enrolment letters. Providers will be required to verify attendance through real-time learning-management-system logs and report course deferrals within 72 hours.
For universities and TAFEs the biggest operational shift is the proposed cap on concurrent enrolments: a student will be allowed to hold a maximum of two active CoEs, closing a loophole often exploited to extend visa duration. Institutions offering packaged English-plus-vocational courses must redesign pathways or risk breaching the cap.
VisaHQ’s Australian visa specialists (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) can help institutions, agents, and relocating families interpret these rule changes, compile compliant documentation, and lodge Student Subclass 500 applications quickly, minimising the risk of costly delays or rejections as the new ASQA requirements take effect.
ASQA will host webinars throughout March ahead of the annual Declaration on Compliance due by 31 March. Education agents are advised to review marketing statements; penalties for misleading claims about work rights under student visas are set to double to A$166,000 per infringement once the amendments pass.
Corporate mobility teams relocating staff with dependent children should note that tighter provider scrutiny may delay issuance of CoEs required for Student Subclass 500 visas. Early application is recommended for the July intake.
