Although the Federal Government has approved the return of international students to South Australia — International students to return to SA after Parafield Airport quarantine hub gets approval— for most CRICOS (Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students) registered providers, there remains considerable uncertainty about the future of their overseas student enrolments.
In July last year we wrote this School Governance article: Schools and Overseas Students: Government Announces Fee Exemptions for CRICOS Registration – Current and New Applications. In our article, we noted that the Federal Government had exempted providers from Entry to Market Charges imposed during the period commencing 12 April 2020 and ending on 30 June 2021. The Federal Government has made amending Regulations to extend this period, which will now end on 31 December 2021. Therefore, schools who wish to apply for CRICOS Registration before the end of this year could save upwards of $14,000.
The Federal Government has also made other amending Regulations and introduced several amending Bills into Parliament that are designed to “facilitate more effective administration of the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) legislative framework and reduce regulatory burden on the international education sector”. These largely technical changes will include changes to the names of charges, including the Entry to Market Charge.
The due date for payment of a provider’s CRICOS annual registration charge will now be 30 days after an invoice has been issued. The Federal Government has indicated that, in practice, the CRICOS annual registration charge will be invoiced at a similar time each year, but the amendment is intended to allow future flexibility in the timing if necessary. The amendment also means that the ESOS Act payment invoicing period will be handled in the same manner as payments under the Tuition Protection Service Levies Act.
Another change being proposed in the Bills before Parliament is that the ESOS Agency, which for schools is the Secretary of the Commonwealth Department of Education, Skills and Employment, would explicitly have the power to undertake audits of providers’ compliance with the ESOS Act and the National Code. The explanatory materials that accompany the Bills do not explain how the ESOS Agency would work with state and territory regulators in conducting compliance audits.