The Australian government has decided to deregister the graduate diploma of management (learning) due to concerns that it is being misused by individuals who are not genuine students but are trying to stay in the country. The move, announced in early September, will impact nearly 450 educational institutions offering the course. It currently has around 15,000 students enrolled and more than 40,000 students who have signed up for future enrollment after completing other vocational courses. In response to the deregistration, scheduled for 5 October, many social media advertisements and messages from immigration education agents have encouraged students to enroll or start their studies sooner. Those who are already enrolled by the deadline will be allowed to finish the course. Some immigration education agents have offered special deals in September, including reduced course fees or free enrollment certificates, to attract students to join the course or to encourage those with future enrollment to begin immediately. One private college reportedly sent immigration agents a promotional offer with "attractive" commissions, including same-day enrollment letters and confirmation, with two special intake dates—21 September and 2 October—just three days before the course is canceled. Phil Honeywood, the chief executive of the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA), supported the government’s decision to cancel the course. He said it could help prevent some private institutions from exploiting the system financially and emphasized that high-quality providers would prefer to remove low-quality "factory-type" providers from the system. Some education migration providers are advising the more than 40,000 international students with future enrollment to start the course now before it is canceled. Some of these students may need to begin the course immediately or choose a different course, such as a bachelor’s or master’s degree, to meet visa requirements, which could mean studying two courses at the same time. Students who previously combined a lower-level vocational course with the graduate diploma may now need to enroll in a higher-level course to maintain their visa status. One student, who spoke anonymously to Guardian Australia, said they had initially come to Australia to study a bachelor’s degree but unenrolled after one semester on the advice of a migration agent. They then enrolled in a vocational course in carpentry and were advised to start the graduate diploma in management now, which they found stressful. A migration agent, who did not want to be named, said they had heard of other agents and institutions encouraging students to start their studies early but warned the government would look closely at such behavior. They expressed concern that such actions might harm the reputation of the entire sector. Julian Hill, the assistant minister responsible for the course’s cancellation, said the government and education regulator would be "closely watching" student and provider behavior. He warned that unusual patterns of early enrollment or new registrations would be investigated, and action would be taken against those acting improperly. Hill noted that the previous government had left a "shocking mess" with unsustainable growth in student numbers in the less reputable parts of the sector, leading to the degradation of high-quality student visas into "low-rent illegal work visas." Melanie McFarlane, the New South Wales president of the Migration Institute of Australia, said some education agents are helping students into master’s courses to maintain their visas, but others may be rushing students into the graduate diploma course due to industry changes, potentially risking their own businesses. The government’s crackdown is part of a broader effort to prevent visa-hopping and overstaying. It has also banned international students from starting one qualification and then transferring to a lower-value one to stay in the country and work more hours. Hill added that commissions for agents transferring students between courses in Australia have been banned, though the pattern of such transfers remains a concern. From next year, international students who want to change providers will need to apply for a new visa.