CRICOS 12-month freeze: Australia suspends new private VET and ELICOS registrations from May 19, 2026
The Australian Government has paused new CRICOS registrations for private VET and ELICOS providers for 12 months , effective May 19, 2026 . Assistant Minister for International Education Julian Hill announced the measure on May 18, 2026 under powers in the Education Legislation Amendment (Integrity and Other Measures) Act 2025 .
The national regulator ASQA will stop accepting new CRICOS applications from private vocational and English-language colleges. CRICOS registration is required for a provider to legally issue a student visa offer letter and enrol international students.
What the CRICOS 12-month freeze does
The freeze blocks: new private VET providers seeking first-time CRICOS registration; new private ELICOS providers; and new private courses that are not direct replacements for existing registered courses. Applications submitted before May 19, 2026 will continue to be processed normally.
Exemptions include public providers such as TAFEs, government schools and Table A universities. Existing private providers that are already CRICOS-registered can continue to enrol students and may add locations or register courses that directly supersede approved ones.
CRICOS 12-month freeze: immediate impact for Indian students
India had about 105,000 student enrolments in Australia in the year to December 2025 . The freeze removes a pipeline of new private-college places commonly used by Indian students for VET and English pathways into higher study or migration.
Students already enrolled with registered private providers are unaffected. Offers from providers not listed on the CRICOS public register are not legally valid for issuing student visa offer letters while the freeze is in place.
Why the government acted now and regulatory context
The government cites integrity concerns in the private VET and ELICOS sectors after reviews since 2023 found exploitation of the visa system. The Education Legislation Amendment 2025 gives the government authority to pause new registrations for up to 12 months.
Overall international enrolments fell 9% year-on-year in January 2026 to 565,601 , while ASQA continued to see a surge of new private provider applications. The AU$ 2,000 student visa application fee — roughly ₹1.37 lakh at ₹68.65/AUD — remains in force.
What students need to check now
Students and advisers should confirm a provider's CRICOS status on the public register at cricos.education.gov.au before relying on any offer. The earliest the freeze could be lifted is May 2027 , unless the government acts otherwise.
The freeze targets new private entrants and new private courses; it does not stop public institutions, existing registered providers, or pending applications lodged before May 19, 2026 from operating or being processed.