Blog
News, regulation changes, and topical guides for international students. Tagged by country, city, institute, and topic — pivot through whatever's relevant to you.
Australia holds 2027 student cap at 295,000
8 Aug 2026
The government has frozen the 2027 National Planning Level at 295,000 new student places, unchanged from 2026, the Department of Education confirmed on 3 July.
australia visaspolicy
Graduate visa 485: age limit now 35, not 50
8 Aug 2026
Home Affairs guidance confirms Temporary Graduate visa applicants must be 35 or under, a major cut to the previous age ceiling, plus a higher application fee.
australia visasworking
MD115: how Australia now prioritises student visas
8 Aug 2026
Ministerial Direction 115 replaced MD111 on 14 November 2025, changing how offshore student visa applications are queued by provider enrolment allocations.
australia visasprocessing
Canada sets 2026 study permit cap at 408,000
8 Aug 2026
IRCC will issue up to 408,000 study permits in 2026, with most new applicants still needing a provincial attestation letter under fixed provincial allocations.
canada visasstudy permits
Canada scraps separate co-op work permit
8 Aug 2026
Post-secondary international students in Canada no longer need a separate work permit for co-op placements — a valid study permit now covers the work.
canada visasworking
Canada drops PAL rule for master's, PhD students
8 Aug 2026
Master's and doctoral applicants at Canada's public universities and colleges no longer need a provincial attestation letter with their 2026 application.
canada visasstudy permits
France cuts APL housing aid for non-EU students
8 Aug 2026
From 1 July 2026, non-EU students in France without a French social-criteria scholarship no longer qualify for APL personal housing assistance payments.
france housingcost of living
France adds civic exam to student residence cards
8 Aug 2026
Since 1 January 2026, non-EU students applying for their first multi-year residence card in France must pass a civic exam and prove A2-level French skills.
france visasresidence permits
France makes non-EU tuition fees mandatory from 2026
8 Aug 2026
From September 2026, French universities can exempt at most 30 percent of non-EU students from differentiated tuition fees of up to 3,941 euros a year.
france tuition feespolicy
DAAD's new rankings show top-funded German universities
8 Aug 2026
DAAD's July 2026 rankings reveal which German universities won the most 2025 scholarship and programme funding, with TU Munich leading at €17 million.
germany scholarshipsinstitutes
Germany's Opportunity Card: 17,500 issued in 2025
8 Aug 2026
Germany's Federal Foreign Office reports about 17,500 Opportunity Cards issued in 2025, the first full-year figure for this post-study job-search visa.
germany visasopportunity card
Bavaria expands tuition fees for non-EU students
8 Aug 2026
Ingolstadt's university of applied sciences starts charging non-EU students tuition from summer 2026, joining Munich's TU in Bavaria's growing fee expansion.
germany tuition feescost of living
IRP Renewal Backlogs in Ireland Are Finally Easing
8 Aug 2026
Immigration Service Delivery says most IRP renewal categories now process in six to eight weeks, and a 24-week application window protects students from gaps.
ireland visasirp registration
Ireland's Stamp 2 Bridging Permission Closes 31 August
8 Aug 2026
A temporary Stamp 2 bridging permission lets English language graduates reach a paid higher education place without a permission gap, but time is short.
ireland visasstamp 2
Ireland Names First TrustEd English Language Schools
8 Aug 2026
QQI has authorised the first five English language schools to use the TrustEd Ireland quality mark, the first statutory oversight the sector has faced.
ireland visasenglish language schools
Dutch graduate work-visa salary threshold: €3,122
8 Aug 2026
From 1 July 2026, IND highly skilled migrant salary thresholds include a reduced €3,122 monthly rate for recent graduates using the orientation year route.
netherlands visasworking
Netherlands drops WIB language test, keeps 16,766 cap
8 Aug 2026
A 15 July 2026 agreement drops a planned English-language test but keeps a 16,766-a-year cap on new international bachelor's students in the Netherlands.
netherlands visaspolicy
IND sets 2026 study income requirement at €1,131
8 Aug 2026
The IND's minimum living-cost amount for Dutch university and HBO student residence permits is €1,130.77 a month for all of 2026, confirmed on ind.nl.
netherlands visascost of living
Pathway Student Visa gets more flexible from July 2026
8 Aug 2026
New Zealand's Pathway Student Visa now covers lower-level study, longer English courses, and lets school-leavers change subjects without a new visa.
new zealand visas
New graduate work visa and wider PSWV access from Nov 2026
8 Aug 2026
From 16 November 2026 New Zealand adds a six-month graduate work visa and extends Post Study Work Visa eligibility to level 7 graduate diploma holders.
new zealand visasworking
NZ student visa work limit rises to 25 hours a week
8 Aug 2026
International students on New Zealand student visas issued from 3 November 2025 can work up to 25 hours weekly, up from 20, Immigration New Zealand confirms.
new zealand visasworking
UK Graduate Route cut to 18 months from January 2027
8 Aug 2026
Bachelor's and master's graduates applying for the Graduate Route from 1 January 2027 will get 18 months, not two years — here's who is affected and who isn't.
united kingdom visasgraduate route
England confirms £925-per-student levy on universities from 2028
8 Aug 2026
From August 2028, England's higher education providers must pay £925 per international student per year — a cost that could filter through to tuition fees.
united kingdom feeshigher education policy
UK halts student visas from four countries over asylum claims
8 Aug 2026
Since 26 March 2026, the UK automatically refuses new out-of-country student visa applications from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan nationals.
united kingdom visasimmigration policy
US Ends F-1 Duration of Status, Sets 4-Year Cap
8 Aug 2026
DHS ends duration of status for F-1 students on September 15, 2026, replacing it with a fixed four-year admission period and a new USCIS extension process.
united states visassevis
H-1B $100,000 Fee: F-1 Change of Status Is Exempt
8 Aug 2026
USCIS guidance confirms the $100,000 H-1B fee does not apply to F-1 students changing status, even as a federal court fight over the fee continues in 2026.
united states visasworking
State Department Expands Visa Social Media Vetting
8 Aug 2026
The State Department expanded its social media screening to more visa categories in March 2026, building on rules already covering F, M, and J student visas.
united states visasvisa applications
Australia's international student caps: where things stand in 2026
11 May 2026
A practical guide to Australia's National Planning Level for international students — what's capped, what the limits look like in practice, and how to apply with confidence.
australia visasstudent 500
The Genuine Student test, explained for international applicants
11 May 2026
The GST replaced the Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement for Australian student visas. Here's what it is, what evidence is expected, and how to answer well.
australia visasstudent 500
Australia raises student work hours to 48 per fortnight
12 Apr 2026
The change from 40 to 48 work hours per fortnight for Subclass 500 student visa holders — what it means and who it affects.
australia visasworking