Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS)
Statutory definition
Section 8 of the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (Cth) establishes the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students. A provider must be registered on CRICOS to offer courses to overseas students and to accept tuition fees from them. Registration is a precondition for a student visa application — the applicant must be enrolled in a course with a CRICOS provider code.
Explanation
CRICOS is the quality gateway for international student enrolments. When a student applies for a Subclass 500 visa, their course and provider must be identifiable by a CRICOS provider code and course code. Providers that breach the National Code of Practice (the standards for registered providers) can lose CRICOS registration — which immediately affects the visa status of enrolled students.
Students should verify that their chosen provider and course are CRICOS-registered before paying any tuition fees or lodging a visa application.