Compliance reporting FAQs

When you complete your study your CoE will:

• naturally expire if the CoE expiry date is within one month from completing,
• be cancelled on the day it is reported that you have completed, if your CoE expiry date is over one month from completion of your studies.

When a CoE is cancelled for an early completion, you will receive an email advising you of the cancellation with a link to Department of Home Affairs with further information.

If a cancelled CoE was for your principal course for which your visa was granted, you will need to make travel plans to depart Australia or apply for a new visa. If you have complied with your visa conditions while studying, your visa would not be considered for cancellation within two months of completing your course.

However, if you have changed courses since being granted your student visa and your new CoE for your principal course has a shorter end date, you must depart Australia or apply for a new visa within 28 days of ceasing study or your visa may be considered for cancellation.

If you have any questions about your student visa status or intend to attend a graduation ceremony, please seek advice from Department of Home Affairs or your local Australian Diplomatic Mission regarding the type of visa required to remain in Australia or for re-entry.

You may wish to discuss your situation with the Department of Home Affairs to ensure you remain lawfully in Australia.

The University receives daily reports that indicate when a student is no longer studying. If you discontinue your studies at Deakin, your CoE will be cancelled the day after your enrolment status changes to 'discontinued'.

In such cases, you will be expected to either re-enrol at Deakin and apply for a new CoE, apply for another course and a new CoE at a new provider, or leave Australia within 28 days.

If you have failed to re-enrol in your course by the time the trimester starts or have withdrawn from all your units, your enrolment status will change to ‘inactive’ and your CoE will be reported the day after your enrolment status changes to 'inactive' or the day after the start of Trimester 1 or Trimester 2.

In such cases, you will be expected to either enrol and apply for a new CoE, apply for readmission in the same, or another course at Deakin to get a new CoE, or with a new provider otherwise you will need to make travel plans to depart Australia within 28 days of ceasing study. Please note the Department of Home Affairs may cancel your visa if there is a lengthy gap of more than two months or you have not made plans to return.

If you already have a student visa and want to change courses to a lower Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) level course or a non-AQF level course, you will need a new student visa.

You don't need to apply for a new visa (while your current visa is valid) if you are studying at the same or higher AQF level or changing from an AQF level 10 course (doctoral degree) to an AQF 9 course (masters degree).

Further information is available on the Department of Home Affairs website.

Please note, Deakin does not report on inactive status in Trimester 3 or during the inter-trimester breaks. We only report an inactive status where your enrolment becomes inactive during a compulsory study period (i.e. T1 or T2).

You will receive an email notifying you that your approved intermission is being reported to the Department of Home Affairs. If there is a change in the end date of your current CoE, a new CoE for a returning trimester will be included in that email.

According to the Department of Home Affairs, while you are on intermission your course is out of session.

Your termination for misconduct or unsatisfactory progress will be reported as soon as the appeal period has been exhausted or at the stage you stop participating in the show cause process. If your CoE is cancelled for unsatisfactory course progress or misconduct, you will receive an email advising you of the cancellation. You are required to abide by the visa conditions of your current visa.

Please note the following information on the Department of Home Affairs website.

‘Students should be advised that if they are thinking about changing course of study, they must ensure that they continue to meet all the conditions that apply to their student visa.  Students are required to leave Australia within 28 days if they cannot maintain full-time enrolment in their current course or in a registered course that is the same level as, or at a higher level than, the registered course for which you were granted a visa.’

Note that during your exclusion period, where permitted, you can apply for admission into another Deakin course, which is the same level as, or at a higher level than, the registered course for which you were granted a visa.

Deakin will cancel your CoE if you fail to commence your course on the agreed start date. For Deakin award, study abroad and exchange students, this report is generated on Monday of the third week of each trimester. CoEs are cancelled and reported to Department of Home Affairs during week three and four of trimester.

For DUELI students, this report is run on Friday of Week 1 of each DUELI intake period. CoEs are cancelled and reported to Department of Home Affairs during Friday of Week 2 of each DUELI intake period.

You will receive an email notifying you that your CoE has been reported for non-commencement of study.

Please note the following advice from the Department of Home Affairs website.

‘If you have stopped attending classes, you might be breaching the conditions of your visa and we may consider cancelling your visa.

Check Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) to see the conditions on your visa. You must meet all conditions on your visa.

If you no longer want to study, you must either:

• meet the conditions on your application for a new visa (If you have applied)
• make travel plans to leave Australia within 28 days of ceasing study

If you have applied for a new visa, you must still meet the conditions of your current student visa until we decide on your application. You must keep going to your classes

Student are advised that they are required to either leave Australia within 28 days of the cancellation of their CoE or maintain fulltime enrolment in a registered course that is the same level as, or at a higher level than, the registered course for which you were granted a visa. Failure to do so may result in cancellation of the student visa.

If you have enrolled in a new course but you have a gap of more than two months between your courses (except where a standard academic year ends and begins) your visa could be considered for cancellation. You could choose to enrol in a short course to fill the gap. The course can be in any sector, for example, ELICOS or vocational education and training, or higher education.’

• If your CoE is cancelled for non-payment of fees, you will receive an email notifying you of the cancellation. After your CoE has been cancelled, you can make full payment of your outstanding fees plus the reinstatement fee within 5 working days or if approved by Deakin, and your Deakin enrolment will be reinstated. You will then be able to continue your studies as normal (subject to students having not missed any examination).
• If you are not reinstated in the same trimester, you can apply for readmission in a future trimester by contacting deakin-int-readmission@deakin.edu.au. Readmission will only be granted if you have not breached any of your student visa conditions and you meet the genuine temporary entrant (GTE) requirements.
• You are required to abide by the conditions of your current visa. You must maintain enrolment in a registered course that is the same level as, or at a higher level than, the registered course for which you were granted a visa.

More information on visa conditions.