The 2 October 2026 change, explained for students and families.
Two rules changed on the same day. Most Student visa applications must now be made from outside Australia, and most students can no longer include a partner or children. Here is who is affected, who is exempt, and what to do before you enrol, pay or travel.
Where you apply, and who comes with you.
The rules cover the Student visa (subclass 500) and the Student Guardian visa (subclass 590).
Most applications are now made outside Australia
- Most applicants must lodge from outside Australia, and must also be outside Australia when the visa is granted.
- You may travel to Australia on another valid visa while you wait, but you must leave before the grant. No bridging visa is linked to an application made outside Australia.
- A current Student visa holder can apply in Australia only under one of six exemptions (below).
Most students can no longer include family
- Most applicants can no longer include a partner or children in a Student visa application.
- Family members cannot be added after the grant in any circumstance.
- Where an exemption allows family, they must apply at the same time and from the same location as the student.
Plan where you will apply from.
Most students now apply from outside Australia and must be outside Australia when the visa is granted.
Six ways a current student can still apply in Australia.
These apply only to someone who already holds a Student visa as the main applicant.
- Up to 12 more months, same providerYou need up to 12 more months beyond the original end date of your main course, with the same provider, at the same or a higher qualification level.
- Sponsored by DFAT or DefenceYour study is sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or the Department of Defence.
- PhDYou are studying a PhD. A Master's by Research does not count.
- School studentsYou are in primary or secondary school.
- Progressing to a higher qualificationYou have finished your main course and are moving to a higher level on the Australian Qualifications Framework. Higher education must lead to higher education with a higher education provider; ELICOS to ELICOS does not qualify.
- Provider defaultYour education provider defaulted on your course.
Who can still include family
- PhD students;
- students sponsored by DFAT or Defence;
- students on a foreign government scholarship that fully funds their study;
- nationals of eligible Pacific Island and ASEAN countries;
- current Student visa holders who already have family on their visa, applied for or held a Student visa before 2 October 2026, and need up to 12 more months, are affected by provider default, or (applying in Australia) are progressing to a higher course.
Children born in Australia automatically hold their parent's visa.
What to do now
- Check your current visa before you enrol or payNote your visa subclass, its end date and any "No Further Stay" condition. Check it in the Department's free VEVO service.
- Work out where you can lawfully apply fromIf no exemption fits, plan to apply from outside Australia, and to be outside Australia at the decision.
- Decide about family earlyIf your partner or children planned to come with you, talk this through before you accept an offer. Most students can no longer include them, and they cannot be added later.
- Check the course levelIf you are relying on the progression exemption, confirm the new course is at a higher qualification level and with the right kind of provider.
- Keep your money safeDo not pay large deposits until you know the application can be validly made. Ask any education provider or agent about refunds and commissions in writing.
- Check the provider transfer ruleFrom 2 October 2026 to 30 June 2027, most students who are not school students cannot transfer to another provider in their first 12 months of study without their provider's release. Education agents cannot receive commissions for onshore transfers.
- Get advice from a registered migration agentCheck the adviser on the OMARA register. Education agents who are not registered migration agents must not give visa advice for a fee.
Charges and published processing times
| Applicant | Charge (A$) |
|---|---|
| Main applicant, most sectors | 2,500 |
| Main applicant, ELICOS and non-award | 2,050 |
| Family member 18 or over, where allowed | 1,530 |
| Family member under 18, where allowed | 500 |
| Extra charge for some applications made in Australia | 700 |
Concessions apply for some Pacific Island, Timor-Leste and ASEAN passport holders. Source: Home Affairs current visa pricing, read 22 October 2026.
What students are asking.
I applied on 1 October 2026 with my partner. Which rules apply?
Applications lodged before 2 October 2026 are assessed under the old rules, including applications that included family members.
Can I fly to Australia on a visitor visa while my offshore Student application is processed?
You may travel on another valid visa, but you must follow its conditions and be outside Australia when the Student visa is granted. There is no bridging visa for an application made outside Australia.
I hold a 485. Can I go back to study onshore?
Not from inside Australia. Temporary Graduate visa holders have no exemption, so a new Student visa application would generally be made from outside Australia.
What happens if I lodge onshore by mistake?
An application made in Australia without an exemption is invalid. It does not give you a bridging visa and cannot be reviewed by the Administrative Review Tribunal. Get advice before lodging.
Check before you enrol, pay or travel.
General information only, checked 22 October 2026. It is not advice for your situation.