From 2 October 2026, most student visa holders must apply for their next student visa from outside Australia, family members can only be included in limited circumstances, and students generally need 12 months of their principal course before transferring provider. The reforms took effect on 2 October 2026 through four new instruments. The Student visa application changes apply to visa applications made on or after that date, while the provider-transfer change operates separately under the National Code from 2 October 2026
Several of the new rules depend on the student's principal course, but the term is used in different legal contexts. For the new onshore Student visa exemptions in F2026L01349, the principal course is the course with the highest Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level where the current Student visa was granted for one or more courses. The provider-transfer rules operate separately under the National Code.
These Australian student visa changes affect current Subclass 500 holders, people on other visas who planned to switch to a student visa in Australia, and students thinking about changing education provider. Here is what has changed at a glance.
Not sure which of these changes applies to you? Speak to a Registered Migration Agent before you lodge, enrol or transfer.
Do Student Visa Holders Now Have to Apply from Outside Australia?
Yes, in most cases. From 2 October 2026, a person who holds a Student visa (subclass 500) and wants to apply for another Student visa as the primary applicant generally must apply from outside Australia.
If their current Student visa was granted to them as a dependant or secondary applicant, they cannot apply in Australia as the primary applicant. If their current Student visa was granted to them as the primary applicant, they may still be able to apply onshore if they meet one of the exemptions explained below.
Where an applicant is required to apply from outside Australia, they must also be outside Australia when the Student visa is granted. Lodging from overseas is therefore only half of the requirement. An applicant who applies offshore and then returns to Australia before a decision cannot be granted the visa while in Australia.
DFAT-sponsored students, Defence-sponsored students and primary or secondary school students have specific exemptions from the further-Student-visa offshore requirement. Other applicants who are in Australia generally need to hold a substantive visa that is not on the excluded list.
Limited exceptions also apply to some applicants who do not hold a substantive visa. A person may be able to apply in Australia within 28 days after holding a Special Purpose visa or a dependant Diplomatic (Temporary) visa. A separate exception may apply within 28 days of notification of an Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) decision where the person's last substantive visa was a Student visa, that visa had been cancelled and had already ceased when the ART set aside and substituted either the cancellation decision or the Minister's decision not to revoke the cancellation. Additional conditions apply to these exceptions.
Who Can Still Apply for a Student Visa Onshore in Australia?
If you currently hold a Student visa as the primary applicant, you may still be able to apply for another Student visa in Australia if you meet one of the onshore exemptions. These cover Defence students, Foreign Affairs students, school students, doctoral students, certain provider-default cases, students needing additional time to complete their current course, and eligible course progression.
These exemptions do not allow a person who currently holds a Student visa as a dependant or secondary applicant to apply onshore as the new primary applicant.
Completing a course and progressing from one are separate exceptions. A student who has already completed their principal course may fall under the course-progression exemption if they meet the relevant conditions. They can be enrolled in no more than one further course. If the completed principal course has an AQF level, the further course must be at a higher AQF level. If the completed principal course was a higher education course, the further course must also be a higher education course delivered by a higher education provider. Different rules apply where the completed principal course does not have an AQF level.
Which Visa Holders Cannot Apply for a Student Visa in Australia?
Holders of the visas below must lodge a student visa application from outside Australia, under the Migration (Student Visa Applications to Be Made from outside Australia) Instrument 2026(F2026L01348). This instrument replaces the earlier 2026 "visas that preclude" instrument.
The list includes both Skills in Demand and Temporary Skill Shortage visas under subclass 482, as well as the Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457). Holders of any visa on the list who want to apply for a Student visa must apply from outside Australia.
Can Family Members (Dependants) Still Be Included in a Student Visa?
Only in limited circumstances. From 2 October 2026, a partner or dependent child can only be included as a secondary applicant in a Student visa application if one of the permitted family categories applies.
A family member may still be included where:
- the primary applicant is a Defence student or Foreign Affairs student
- the primary applicant holds a passport from an eligible Pacific-regional country or one of the ASEAN countries specified in the Migration Regulations
- the family member is in Australia and, on 2 October 2026, already held a Subclass 500 visa as a secondary applicant in relation to the same primary applicant
- the family member is in Australia and applied before 2 October 2026 for a secondary Student visa linked to the same primary applicant, and that visa was granted on or after 2 October 2026
- the family member is in Australia, was born in Australia on or after 2 October 2026, and the relevant transitional conditions for the primary applicant are met
- the primary applicant is studying a doctoral degree
- the primary applicant is undertaking a course, or courses, fully funded by a foreign government
- an existing secondary Student visa holder is applying with the same primary applicant under the provider-default or course-completion provisions.
Student visa applicants included in the same application must apply at the same time and place. This means family members generally cannot wait until after the primary applicant has lodged or been granted their visa and then apply later as subsequent entrants.
The exact family exemption depends on the primary applicant's circumstances and, for some transitional categories, the family member's visa status and location on 2 October 2026.
When Can Students Change Education Provider?
Under the National Code transfer rules, a receiving provider generally cannot knowingly enrol a student transferring from another provider until the student has completed 12 months of their principal course with the releasing provider, unless an exception applies. This transfer rule operates separately from the Student visa application rules above.
The effect depends on how far into their principal course a student was on 2 October 2026:
• Under 6 months: must now complete 12 months (not 6) before transferring without a release.
• Between 6 and 12 months: restricted again until 12 months in total, even if previously free to transfer.
• 12 months or more: not affected.
Being free to transfer before 2 October does not mean a student is free now. Take Priya, who started her principal course in February 2026. On 2 October she was about 8 months in and could transfer under the 6-month rule, but she is now restricted again until she reaches 12 months in February 2027, unless an exception applies.
The existing exceptions continue: the current provider agrees to the student's release, the provider or course is no longer registered, an ESOS sanction prevents the student from continuing their course, or a government sponsor provides written support for the transfer. School students remain subject to the existing six-month transfer restriction for their first registered school-sector course.
The 12-month National Code restriction is temporary until 30 June 2027. From 1 July 2027, the National Code period returns to six months. The Government has also announced a new Student visa transfer stream from that date. Under the announced settings, students changing providers after arriving in Australia would need the new Student visa before commencing with the new provider. These future visa settings should be checked against the rules in force at the time.
What Should Students Do Now?
If you are planning a course change, a provider transfer or a new student visa, check your plans against these rules before taking any further step.
1. Before lodging a Student visa application in Australia, confirm that your current visa and circumstances allow you to make an onshore application. Most applicants need to hold an eligible substantive visa, although limited exceptions apply in some non-substantive-visa situations. If you currently hold a Student visa as the primary applicant, also confirm that you meet an onshore exemption. If you hold your current Student visa as a secondary or dependant applicant, you cannot apply in Australia as the new primary applicant.
2. Before accepting an offer from a new provider, confirm how long you have studied in your principal course, or have a release letter from your current provider in place.
3. Get advice on any unclear situation before you act. No outcome is guaranteed, and every application is subject to meeting requirements.
Home Affairs and the Department of Education have now published guidance on the new Student visa and provider-transfer rules. If you are unsure where you stand, speak to a Registered Migration Agent at Knowbal before you lodge, enrol or transfer.
What Do the Australian Student Visa Changes Mean for Students?
From 2 October 2026, most current Subclass 500 holders who need another Student visa must apply from outside Australia and, where offshore lodgement is required, must also be outside Australia when the visa is granted. Current primary Student visa holders may still be able to apply in Australia if they meet an exemption for course completion, Defence or Foreign Affairs status, doctoral study, school study, eligible course progression or provider default. Current secondary or dependant Student visa holders cannot apply in Australia as primary applicants. Holders of the excluded visas, including subclass 482 and subclass 457 visas, must also apply from outside Australia.
Family members can now be included only in limited circumstances, and most non-school students are subject to a 12-month provider-transfer restriction until 30 June 2027 unless an exception applies. The National Code restriction returns to six months from 1 July 2027, when the Government has also announced that a new Student visa transfer stream will begin. Students planning a provider change from that date should check the visa and transfer rules in force at the time.
The right next step depends on your principal course dates, your current visa and your family situation. Use the Student Visa Checker for a quick first answer, then speak to a Registered Migration Agent at Knowbal before you lodge, enrol or transfer.
I lodged my student visa application before 2 October 2026. Do the new rules apply to me?
The changes apply to applications lodged on or after 2 October 2026.
I hold a visa that is not on the excluded list. Can I apply for a student visa onshore?
Possibly. If you hold a substantive visa that is not on the excluded list, you may be able to apply for a Student visa in Australia, subject to the other application requirements. If you currently hold a Student visa, the position depends on how that visa was granted. A primary Student visa holder must meet an onshore exemption, while a secondary or dependant Student visa holder cannot apply in Australia as the new primary applicant.
My provider defaulted and I couldn't finish my course. Can I still apply in Australia?
Yes, if you were enrolled on the day of the default, you apply within 12 months of it, and you have not already made an application because of the same default.
I have finished my course and want to study another course at the same level. Can I apply onshore?
Not under the course progression exception. It covers no more than one further course at a higher AQF level, and higher education graduates must progress to a higher education course.
My partner already holds a secondary student visa. Can they still apply with me?
Possibly. Holding a secondary Student visa does not automatically mean your partner can be included in every new Student visa application. A transitional rule applies where the partner is in Australia and either held a secondary Subclass 500 visa linked to you on 2 October 2026, or applied for that visa before 2 October and it was granted after the changes commenced. Other family exemptions may also apply depending on your circumstances. All applicants included together must apply at the same time and place.
My current provider has agreed to release me. Do I still have to wait 12 months to transfer?
No. A release approved by your current provider is one of the exceptions that continue under the new transfer rule.
I am moving from a school to a university or college. Does the 12-month rule apply?
No. Transfers from school providers are not affected by the restriction.
I am a PhD student. Can my family still be included?
Yes. Doctoral students can still apply onshore if enrolled in a course leading to a doctoral degree at the time of application, and a matching family class covers their family members.
