Australia's October 2026 Student Visa Changes: No Dependants, Offshore Applications and Who Is Exempt

Since 2 October 2026, most people applying for an Australian Student visa (subclass 500) must lodge their application from outside Australia, and most new applicants can no longer include a partner or children. Family members also cannot join later. Exemptions exist for PhD students, sponsored and scholarship students, Pacific Island and ASEAN nationals, and some current students. Applications lodged before 2 October 2026 are assessed under the old rules.

Key points

• The changes come from the Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 and a related instrument, registered on 1 October and in force from 2 October 2026.
• Holders of visitor, working holiday, 482, 485 and several other visas can no longer apply onshore for a Student visa, with no exemptions.
• Current primary Student visa holders can apply onshore only under one of six exemptions.
• Most applicants cannot include family, and family cannot apply later as subsequent entrants.
• Home Affairs says the Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) is also covered by the new rules on applying in Australia and including family.

What changed on 2 October 2026

The government announced the package on 17 September 2026, when Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke set out a broader set of migration reforms at the National Press Club. The student changes were then made law through two instruments on the Federal Register of Legislation:

• Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 (F2026L01347)
• Migration (Student Visa Applications to Be Made from outside Australia) Instrument 2026 (F2026L01348)

The Home Affairs Student visa page now explains the new rules in detail.

Change 1: Most applications must be lodged outside Australia

Visas that can no longer be used to apply onshore

If you hold any of these visas, as a primary or secondary holder, you cannot apply for a Student visa in Australia. Home Affairs says there are no exemptions:

Subclass	Visa
400	Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist)
403	Domestic Worker (Diplomatic/Consular stream)
407	Training
408	Temporary Activity
417	Working Holiday
457 / 482	Temporary Work / Skills in Demand
462	Work and Holiday
485	Temporary Graduate
600 / 601 / 651	Visitor / ETA / eVisitor
602	Medical Treatment
771	Transit
988	Maritime Crew
995	Diplomatic (Temporary), primary holders only

The working holiday, 482 and 485 groups are the biggest change for many people already in Australia.

Current Student visa holders: six exemptions

If you hold a Student visa as the primary applicant, you can apply for another one in Australia only if you meet one of these exemptions:

1. Course completion: you need up to 12 extra months to finish your main course, with the same provider (a changed course must be at the same or higher AQF level).
2. DFAT or Defence sponsorship.
3. PhD: you are applying to study a Doctoral degree. Master’s by Research does not qualify.
4. School: you are applying for primary or secondary school study.
5. Progression: you have completed your main course and are moving to a higher AQF level. If your completed course was higher education, the next one must also be higher education at a higher education provider. For example, ELICOS to a Bachelor degree qualifies, but a Bachelor degree to a Graduate Diploma at a VET provider does not.
6. Provider default: your provider has defaulted and you cannot continue.

Dependent (secondary) Student visa holders cannot apply onshore as primary applicants. If you do not meet an exemption, Home Affairs warns that an onshore application will be invalid, which can affect your visa status, and invalid decisions cannot be reviewed by the Administrative Review Tribunal.

Change 2: Most applicants cannot include family

For applications lodged from 2 October 2026, you cannot include a partner or dependent children unless you meet an exemption. Family members cannot apply later as subsequent entrants in any circumstances.

Who can still include family

Exemption	Details
PhD students	Doctoral degree only, not Master’s by Research. Family can be included onshore or offshore.
DFAT or Defence-sponsored students	Family can be included onshore or offshore.
Fully funded foreign government scholarship	Offshore: yes. Onshore: only in limited situations, such as course completion or progression.
Pacific Island and ASEAN nationals	Includes Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and other Pacific countries, plus Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. Onshore: limited situations only.
Current Student visa holders	Can include family already on their Student visa in limited cases (course completion, provider default, or onshore progression for those who held or applied for a Student visa before 2 October 2026).

If you meet an exemption, family members must apply at the same time and from the same location as you.

Who is not affected

• Applications lodged before 2 October 2026, including those with family members, are assessed under the old rules.
• Visas already granted. The new rules apply to applications lodged from 2 October 2026. Home Affairs has not said that visas already held by students or their family members are cancelled.

Related change: provider transfers

Separately, the Department of Education has temporarily extended the transfer restriction period from 6 to 12 months of the principal course for most overseas students (school students excluded). It reverts to 6 months from 1 July 2027 (Department of Education). A new student transfer arrangement has been announced for 1 July 2027.

What is announced but not yet law

In the same 17 September speech, the Minister announced that new family members would not be allowed on Temporary Graduate (485) visas. As of 11 October 2026, we have not found a registered instrument for that change. We will cover it on our updates page when it is made law.

What to do now

1. Check your current visa. If it is on the list above, plan to apply from outside Australia.
2. If you are a current student, read the six exemptions carefully before your visa expires. Apply early if you qualify.
3. If you planned to bring family, check whether you fit an exemption. If not, reconsider your plans before paying deposits.
4. Budget for travel if you need to leave Australia to apply. Offshore applicants must also include travel costs in their financial evidence (AUD 2,000 for most applicants).
5. Get advice from a registered migration agent if you are unsure, because an invalid onshore application can leave you without a valid visa.

For the full application process, read our Australia Student visa (subclass 500) guide. For funds, see how much money you need for an Australian student visa. More guides are on the Australia hub.