Student Visa Changes From 2 October 2026: Who Can Still Apply Onshore

From 2 October 2026, most people in Australia on a temporary visa can no longer apply for a student visa onshore. Current student visa holders who want another student visa must also apply from outside Australia, unless an exemption fits them.

Most students can no longer bring a partner or children. Applications lodged before 2 October are decided under the old rules.

Who can no longer apply for a student visa onshore?

Holders of 17 temporary visas cannot lodge a valid student visa (subclass 500) application while they are in Australia. The list grew from 9 visas to 17 on 2 October 2026, and it also covers the student guardian visa (subclass 590). The 17 visas are:

• Work visas — 400 Short Stay Specialist, 403 (Domestic Worker stream only), 407 Training, 408 Temporary Activity, 457, and both 482 visas (Skills in Demand and Temporary Skill Shortage).
• Working holiday visas — 417 Working Holiday and 462 Work and Holiday.
• Graduate visa — 485 Temporary Graduate.
• Visitor and short-stay visas — 600 Visitor, 601 ETA, 651 eVisitor, 602 Medical Treatment and 771 Transit.
• Crew and diplomatic visas — 988 Maritime Crew, and 995 Diplomatic (Temporary) for the main visa holder.

There are no exemptions for these visas. The ones added on 2 October are the 400, 407, 408, 417, 457, 462 and 482. A family member who holds one of them, such as the partner of a 482 worker, is covered too.

To apply in Australia you also need a substantive visa (any visa other than a bridging visa), with narrow exceptions. That rule is not new. Holders of a substantive visa that is not on the list can still apply onshore.

What does this mean for 482 workers and their employers?

A 482 worker whose job ends can no longer move to a student visa inside Australia. The worker, and any partner or child on a 482 visa, would have to leave and apply from overseas. Employers who know a role is ending can raise this with the worker early.

Our 482 visa guide covers the sponsor’s obligations when employment stops.

Can a student visa holder still apply for another student visa in Australia?

Only if an exemption applies. From 2 October 2026, a student who holds a subclass 500 visa and applies for another one as the student must lodge from outside Australia, and must be outside Australia when it is granted. Your current visa is not affected. The rule applies when you apply for the next one.

You can still apply in Australia if one of these fits you:

• Finishing your current course — you have started your main course (or moved to another main course with the same provider), have not finished it, and will finish within 12 months of the end date on your CoE (Confirmation of Enrolment, the document your provider issues).
• Moving up a level — you have completed your main course and are enrolled in no more than one further course at a higher AQF level (the national ranking of qualifications, from level 1 to 10).
• Doing a PhD — you are enrolled in a doctoral degree when you apply.
• School student — you are applying to study at primary or secondary school.
• Provider default — your provider could not deliver your course, you were enrolled on the day this happened, you apply within 12 months of that day, and you have not already applied because of it.
• Sponsored by DFAT or Defence — the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or the Department of Defence sponsors your study.

After a higher education course (university-level study), the next course must also be higher education, with a higher education provider. Moving from a course with no AQF level, such as English language study, to one with a level also counts. So does moving from school to a course with no AQF level.

Two common plans now mean applying from overseas: moving to a lower-level course, such as from a bachelor’s degree to a diploma, and starting another course at the same level. Our post on gaps between courses and the 485 visa explains how course order affects a graduate visa later.

What if you hold a student visa as a partner or child?

If you are on a student visa as a family member and now want to apply as the student yourself, you must apply from outside Australia. There is no exemption for this. Student guardian (subclass 590) visa holders can still apply for another 590 in Australia.

What happens if you lodge in Australia when you are not allowed to?

The application is invalid, which means it is not assessed. It also does not give you a bridging visa (a temporary visa that keeps you lawful in Australia while an application is decided). If your current visa ends while you wait, you may have no lawful status and fewer visa options.

The same applies to family members. A partner or child included in an application when they are not eligible to be included has an invalid application.

Where do you need to be when the student visa is granted?

Anyone who had to apply from outside Australia must also be outside Australia on the day the visa is granted. You can return to Australia on another valid visa while the application is processed, but you must leave again before the decision. The visa cannot be granted while you are in Australia.

An application lodged from outside Australia does not come with a bridging visa. Your right to be in Australia while you wait depends entirely on the other visa you hold.

Can you still bring your partner or children on a student visa?

Most students no longer can. From 2 October 2026, a partner or dependent child can be included in a student visa application only if the student is:

• A PhD student — enrolled in a doctoral degree. A master’s degree, including a research master’s, does not qualify.
• Government-funded — studying a course fully funded by a foreign government, or sponsored by DFAT or Defence.
• From a Pacific or ASEAN country — an eligible student holding a passport from a Pacific country or a member country of ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

What about family members already on your student visa?

Family members already on your visa keep it until it ends. They can be included in your next student visa application in two cases:

• You are applying in Australia — they are in Australia and held a student visa as your family member on 2 October 2026, or applied before that date and were granted later. A child born in Australia on or after 2 October 2026 to a student in that position is also covered.
• You need more time or your provider defaulted — they are already on your visa, and you need up to 12 more months to finish your main course or must reapply because of provider default. This works whether you apply in Australia or outside it.

The student and every family member must lodge at the same time and from the same place. So if you must apply from outside Australia and neither case fits, your family cannot be included.

Can family join you after your visa is granted?

No. Adding a partner or child after the visa is granted (a subsequent entrant application) ended on 2 October 2026, with no exemptions. A partner who wants to come later needs a visa they qualify for in their own right.

What if you applied before 2 October 2026?

Your application is decided under the rules that applied on the day you lodged it, including any family members you included. Visas already granted are not affected.

Do you need to do anything?

• You hold a student visa — check your CoE end date and your next course against the exemptions before you enrol or pay fees. If none fits, plan to apply from overseas and to be overseas when the visa is granted.
• You hold a 482, 485, visitor or working holiday visa — to study, you must leave Australia to apply. Allow for the processing time and the cost of travel.
• Your family planned to join you — check whether you are in an exempt group. If not, they need a visa of their own.
• You lodged before 2 October — nothing changes for that application.

Visitor visas granted in future will also carry a no further stay condition once that change starts. Our post on the visitor visa 8503 condition covers what it blocks.

Where are the new rules?

The changes are in the Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026, the list of 17 visas (LIN 26/102) and the exemption classes (LIN 26/087), all in force from 2 October 2026. Home Affairs explains them on its student visa changes page.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for a student visa onshore if I hold a 482 visa?

No. From 2 October 2026, a person in Australia holding either 482 visa (Skills in Demand or Temporary Skill Shortage) cannot make a valid student visa application in Australia. This includes partners and children who hold a 482 visa. You must apply from outside Australia and be outside Australia when the visa is granted.

Can I change to a lower-level course and stay in Australia?

Moving to a lower-level course needs a new student visa. From 2 October 2026, a current student visa holder must lodge that application from outside Australia, unless another exemption applies, such as being a school student or being sponsored by DFAT or Defence.

Can my partner come with me on my student visa?

Only if you are enrolled in a PhD, studying a course fully funded by a foreign government, sponsored by DFAT or Defence, or an eligible student from a Pacific or ASEAN country. Family already on your current student visa can be included in some further applications. No one can be added after the grant.

Do the new rules affect a student visa application lodged before 2 October 2026?

No. An application lodged before 2 October 2026, including any family members in it, is decided under the rules that applied when it was lodged. Visas already granted are not affected.

This article draws on a Migration Institute of Australia (MIA) member notice and official government sources, fully rewritten for Arta Migration readers.