Australia’s student visa backlog nears 50,000 amid 2025 surge

(AUSTRALIA) Australia’s student visa backlog has blown out to almost 50,000 cases, with 46,590 appeals sitting before the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) as of October 31, 2025, raising fresh doubts about how quickly international students will be able to start or resume their studies. The caseload, confirmed by ART Chief Executive and Principal Registrar Michael Hawkins, means student matters now make up 38% of all cases before the Tribunal, putting extra pressure on an already stretched appeals system that many overseas students turn to when their visa applications are refused or cancelled.

Surge in student appeals: causes and impact

Hawkins has described the surge in student cases as an “explosion” following the post‑pandemic reopening of Australia’s borders and a sharp rebound in global demand for Australian education. The ART, which reviews visa decisions made by the Department of Home Affairs, has struggled to keep up.

• Limited staffing has made it hard to triage matters, so complex student appeals often sit in the same long queue as more straightforward cases.
• For students who have invested heavily in tuition and living costs, months of waiting can mean courses deferred, jobs lost, and families stuck in limbo abroad.

The student visa backlog forms part of a wider build‑up across Australia’s temporary migration system. Government figures show:

Analysis by VisaVerge.com indicates the share of student cases has climbed as more applicants challenge refusals linked to tougher financial and English‑language checks. Each appeal adds strain to Tribunal members already dealing with protection, partner, and other migration disputes.

Policy, fee changes and frontline checks feeding appeals

Several administrative and policy shifts since 2025 have increased workload and appeals:

• From 2025, the standard Student visa (subclass 500) application fee rose from AUD 1,600 to AUD 2,000, making it one of the highest‑priced student visas in the world.
• The Department of Home Affairs now requires:
  • a valid Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) from an approved institution,
  • higher proof of savings, and
  • stronger English scores for many sectors.
• Offshore applicants from countries such as India, Nepal, and Bangladesh report more detailed checks and, in some cases, refusal letters they feel do not fully reflect the documents supplied — prompting more appeals.

The fee hike has not reduced demand. Offshore Student visa (subclass 500) applications rebounded sharply in late 2025 after the government eased earlier limits on public universities.

• September 2025 offshore applications: 19,795
• September 2024 offshore applications: 14,963

Public universities have been urged to boost international enrolments to help replace lost pandemic revenue, while many private higher‑education and vocational providers face tighter caps and closer scrutiny. The result: a heavy flow of applications through public institutions, with more applicants from key South Asian source countries.

Processing times, service standards and behavioural impacts

Processing times at the primary level have stretched. The Department of Home Affairs warns those hoping to study in 2026 to lodge complete applications early, stressing incomplete files may be refused or delayed well beyond the government’s 29‑day service standard.

• Officials say some cases now take several months to decide, especially when additional checks on finances or genuine‑student intent are ordered.
• When such cases are refused, many students seek review at the ART, adding another layer of delay.

A new cap‑and‑quota regime introduced in July 2025 has also slowed some processing:

• Education providers receive yearly allocations of Confirmations of Enrolment.
• Providers near their caps often see visa processing slow as officers manage numbers to stay near the limit.
• Students linked to capped providers can end up in slower lanes, while those tied to institutions with spare CoE allocations move more quickly.
• Refusals originating within that system contribute further to the ART’s growing list.

Refusal rates for offshore student applications — which spiked in 2023 and 2024 — have begun to ease in 2025, especially for public universities that meet stricter quality benchmarks. However, the earlier high‑refusal period left a long tail of contested decisions. Many applicants from those years are only now reaching the review stage, swelling appeal numbers.

Legal advice and evidence preservation

For many applicants, the Tribunal review is their final hope after years of preparation. Lawyers advise:

• Keep proof of every bank transfer, language test, and academic record.
• Even small gaps in evidence can damage both the primary decision and any later appeal.

Efforts to reduce delays at the ART

Inside the Tribunal, steps are being taken to restore speed:

• The Attorney‑General’s Department has supported new appointments and extra resources to strengthen ART capacity.
• Hawkins warns that training new members and staff takes time, and limited triaging capacity means student cases cannot always be fast‑tracked even when course start dates are imminent.
• Some students who filed review applications in early 2025 still await hearing dates, leaving them unable to decide whether to reapply, switch countries, or pause study plans.

Key takeaway: even with additional resourcing, practical limitations mean many student appeals will take months to resolve — and students should plan accordingly.

Guidance for prospective students and institutions

For prospective students the picture is mixed:

• Australia remains a popular choice and recent policy shifts favouring public universities may slightly improve offshore applicants’ odds compared with peak restriction years.
• However, higher fees, stricter documentation rules, and a crowded review system mean applicants cannot assume a smooth path.

The Department of Home Affairs stresses on its official site that applications for subclass 500 must be lodged online and supported by clear proof of enrolment, funds, and English ability. Students are urged to check the latest rules directly on the department’s official visa pages before paying non‑refundable fees or booking flights.

Education agents and migration advisers report the backlog is changing family planning:

• Some families now factor an extra 6–12 months for possible refusal and review.
• Others consider alternative destinations such as Canada or the United Kingdom to avoid long delays.
• Universities, especially in regional Australia, warn that prolonged appeal times will harm enrolment targets as students become reluctant to risk late arrivals and missed semesters.

For now, thousands of would‑be students remain caught between a government trying to control numbers and a tribunal attempting to process 46,590 student visa cases already on its books.