The Australian Government uses a visa processing priortisation system. This system works out how quickly Student visa applications are processed for each Australian education provider, based on the number of student places filled.
During 2025, Australia's ‘National Planning Level’ (NPL) for international student places was supported by a Government Ministerial Direction called MD111. On 14 November 2025, a new Ministerial Direction 115 (MD115) replaced the old one for 2026.
Just like before, the 2026 NPL system only applies to offshore Student visa applications (lodged outside of Australia).
If you applied for an offshore Student visa prior to 14 November 2025 your application will continue to be prioritized under MD111 settings. If you applied for an offshore Student visa on or after 14 November 2025, your application will be processed under MD115.
To help reduce processing times and to get you ready for travel, lodge your Student visa application as early as possible.
The process will be smoother if you make sure your application is complete. This means including all requested information at time of lodgement.
Visa processing takes longer if applications have incorrect information or when documents are missing. Your visa may even be refused. Find out more here.
And remember... your visa application will need to meet all other requirements to be approved.