On November 7, 2024, the Australian Senate’s Committee continued its examination of the proposed Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Amendment Bill, which seeks to impose caps on international student enrolments starting January 1, 2025. Senate Estimates provided a preview of the upcoming Senate review of the proposed ESOS Amendments, shedding light on some significant points. You can watch the video of the session here: https://lnkd.in/gQdcMt6z. However the intent to implement National Offshore Student Caps (NOSC) from January 1, 2025, remains unchanged.

Here’s a summary of key points discussed:

  • Senators raised ongoing concerns on potential job losses, on the implementation planning, and the bill’s potentially discriminatory impact on various education providers.
  • Senator Henderson’s opening remarks highlighted the severe financial impacts facing private providers in both the VET and Higher Education sectors, stating, “If you think the universities are in crisis, consider what this is doing to the private providers, both in VET and Higher Education, many of them are facing insolvency, bankruptcy, collapse, serious financial consequences, the loss of their homes…”
  • There appears to be no consideration for situations where providers may have already issued Confirmations of Enrolment (CoEs) or visas in advance of the bill’s passage, which could result in student numbers exceeding the proposed caps unintentionally.
  • Ben Rimmer, Deputy Secretary of Higher Education at the Department of Education, publicly confirmed for the first time that a limited number of providers with multiple CRICOS registrations under common ownership would be allowed to redistribute their student cap allocations across their operations. 
  • Eight higher education providers had their indicative NOSC allocations updated. These adjustments, which are reportedly minor, are said to be in the public domain.

As the bill moves forward, the education sector remains focused on the formal review scheduled later this month. Many stakeholders are eagerly awaiting further clarity on these proposed changes, given the potential impacts on the entire education landscape in Australia.

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