Can I transfer to another Australian CRICOS provider in 2026, and are agent commissions banned for onshore transfers?

Plain-language guide · general information, not immigration advice

Yes — on both counts, with one qualifier worth reading carefully. Moving from one CRICOS-registered provider to another is a normal part of the Australian international education system, and the transfer itself is actioned by the providers in PRISMS, according to the Australian Government Department of Education's guide How To Manage Student Transfers in PRISMS. Separately, the Department records a change to the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 (National Code) regarding the payment of education agent commissions, and publishes a dedicated fact sheet on the ban on the payment of agent commissions for onshore transfers. These official pages were current as of September 2026.

Is changing providers actually allowed?

The Department's General Factsheet on the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Framework explains that the revised National Code commenced on 1 January 2018 and sets nationally consistent standards governing the protection of international students and the delivery of courses by providers registered on CRICOS. Providers registered on CRICOS are the unit the framework is built around, which is why a transfer is described as a move between providers rather than a fresh start.

What the Department's transfer guide adds is the mechanism: the document is described as a providers guide to actioning student transfers in PRISMS. That phrasing matters for your expectations — the transfer is recorded by the providers in the national system, not by you submitting a transfer application to the government.

How is the transfer recorded?

The Department's How To Manage Student Transfers in PRISMS page is the provider-facing instruction for carrying out a transfer, last modified on 1 August 2024. It sits within the ESOS Framework resource set alongside the National Code and the fees and charges material, which tells you where transfers belong in the regulatory picture: they are an enrolment-administration event under ESOS, handled between the releasing and receiving providers.

Because the page is written for providers, the practical sequence for a student is shorter than people expect. Assume a student wants to move from one CRICOS provider to another: the student's role is to end up enrolled with a provider that is registered on CRICOS, while the recording of the transfer in PRISMS is done by the providers involved.

What changed about education agent commissions?

Two Department pages cover this. The 2025 Fact Sheet — Changes to requirements around education agents and commissions is described as a plain language guide to changes made to the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act) regarding education agents and education agent commissions; it was last modified on 3 December 2025. The Ban on the payment of agent commissions for onshore transfers fact sheet deals with the change to the National Code regarding the payment of education agent commissions, and was last modified on 26 August 2026.

The scope named in that second title is onshore transfers. The Department's own framing is that it is a plain language guide that should not be relied upon as legal advice, and that where there is doubt, readers should refer to the ESOS Act and the National Code.

Does the commission change affect what you have to do?

It changes who gets paid, not the transfer mechanics. The ban concerns payments by providers to education agents in connection with onshore transfers, so from a student's side the steps are unchanged: the receiving provider needs to be registered on CRICOS, and the transfer is actioned in PRISMS by the providers.

It is still worth knowing about, because it affects the incentives around the advice you receive. If an agent is steering a particular onshore move, the commission rules that apply to that move are part of the framework the Department now sets out separately from the transfer process itself.

One boundary to keep in mind: everything above is general information about how the framework is structured, not advice on your specific enrolment or visa situation. The Department makes the same point in stronger terms about its own material, and the authoritative texts remain the ESOS Act and the National Code.

What should you confirm before committing to a move?

Both the provider you are leaving and the one you are moving to are registered on CRICOS — the National Code standards apply to delivery by CRICOS-registered providers.
The transfer will be actioned in PRISMS by the providers, since that is the mechanism the Department's guide covers.
Any commission arrangement around an onshore transfer falls under the National Code change the Department describes in its ban fact sheet.
The rules were still moving recently: the commission fact sheet was modified in August 2026 and the 2025 agents and commissions fact sheet in December 2025, so confirm the current wording on the official pages before you rely on a detail.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I transfer to another Australian provider while studying?

Transfers between providers are part of how the ESOS Framework operates, and the Department of Education publishes a guide for providers on actioning student transfers in PRISMS. The transfer is recorded in PRISMS by the providers involved rather than by the student filing a transfer request with the government.

Who actually processes the transfer?

The Department's page is explicitly a providers guide to actioning student transfers in PRISMS, so the recording step sits with the releasing and receiving providers. Your part is to end up enrolled with a provider registered on CRICOS.

Are agent commissions banned for onshore transfers?

The Department of Education publishes a fact sheet titled as a ban on the payment of agent commissions for onshore transfers, describing a change to the National Code regarding the payment of education agent commissions. That fact sheet was last modified on 26 August 2026.

Does the commission ban apply to me or to the providers?

It regulates payments by providers to education agents, so it does not add a step to your transfer. It does affect the commercial background of an onshore move, which is useful context when you weigh advice about where to go next.

Does the ban also cover transfers arranged from outside Australia?

The fact sheet's stated scope is onshore transfers. For anything beyond that, the Department directs readers to the ESOS Act and the National Code rather than to the fact sheet itself.

Is a new enrolment the same thing as a new visa?

These Department of Education pages cover the ESOS and PRISMS side — enrolment, course delivery and provider obligations — and do not set out visa outcomes. Treat visa requirements as a separate check against the official current requirements.

How current is this information?

The Department's transfer guide was last modified on 1 August 2024, the General Factsheet on 16 April 2025, the 2025 agents and commissions fact sheet on 3 December 2025, and the onshore transfer commission fact sheet on 26 August 2026. Confirm details against the official pages before acting.