Australia mandates Confirmation of Enrollment for student visa applications

Candidates who submit their applications on or after 1 January 2025 will have to submit a Confirmation of Enrollment at the time of application.

The Australian Department of Home Affairs in an official notice informed that Letters of Offers from students intending to study in the country will no longer be accepted for the processing of student visas.

Visa applications lodged before that date using only a Letter of Offer from an education provider are not affected by this change. (File Photo / Reuters)

“​​From 1 January 2025, the Department of Home Affairs will no longer accept Letters of Offers from individuals applying in Australia for a Student visa. Onshore applicants will be required to include a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) at the time of application,” mentioned the notice. There is no change to the alternative forms of evidence of the intended course of study for Foreign Affairs, Defence or secondary exchange students.

Who will this change impact?

Candidates who submit their applications on or after 1 January 2025 will have to submit a Confirmation of Enrollment at the time of application. Visa applications lodged before that date using only a Letter of Offer from an education provider are not affected by this change.

What will happen if CoE is not submitted?

As per the official website, not providing a CoE at the time of application will make an application invalid. Visa decision makers cannot assess an invalid application. An associated Bridging visa cannot be granted where the substantive visa application is not valid.

Providing a CoE at the time of visa application demonstrates a stronger commitment by the student to study at that institution, mentioned the official notice.

In 2024, Australia had hiked the fee for international student visas from AUD 710 to AUD 1,600. “The fee for international student visa was increased by the Government of Australia from AUD 710 to AUD 1,600 with effect from 1 July 2024," said the written reply of Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh to a query in the Rajya Sabha.