Labor blocks new enrolments in management diploma amid visa-misuse concerns

Labor used its newly-granted cancellation authority to halt new intake for the Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning), after data showed a surge in transfers that allowed non-genuine international students to maintain visa status. Transfer numbers jumped from 510 in 2020 to 4,000 in 2025, with most entrants coming from other higher-education programs, and completion rates lagging behind comparable VET courses. While current students can complete their studies, providers and education agents are prohibited from recruiting further overseas students for the programme.

The action follows an earlier 12-month moratorium on private colleges applying for new international-student courses, intended to give regulators time to address quality concerns. The crackdown is part of a broader strategy to tighten visa rules and reduce net overseas migration, which the government aims to bring down from about 300,000 a year toward a target of 225,000 by 2028. Officials also adjusted processing priorities for skilled migrants and slowed backpacker visas from several countries.