Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS)
Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) need to be approved for Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) prior to teaching Overseas Student on a Student Visa.
Update: Some courses, including White Card & First Aid courses, are now exempt from CRICOS requirements and available for Overseas Students on a Student Visa: ASQA CRICOS exemption.
You can sign up and obtain a White Card as an international student using this link: Queensland White Card for international student.
Existing RTOs can apply for CRICOS registration at any time. New organisations can apply for RTO and CRICOS registration at the same time should they wish to do so.
RTOs wishing to deliver training to Overseas Students must follow the requirements of the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act) and National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2007 (National Code) on an ongoing basis. The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) regularly runs audits to ensure that the RTO is compliant with the aforementioned Act and Code.
CRICOS requirements are quite substantial, and as a result many smaller RTOs are not CRICOS registered. This is especially true for one day courses such as the White Card course and the Provide responsible service of alcohol (RSA) course, which is often in high demand amongst Overseas Students studying in Australia and looking for part time work.
The Australia Education portal has a form to find CRICOS registered RTOs when looking for Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses.
The full list of CRICOS excempt courses can be found here: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2021L00877