Condition 8503 to Apply to All Visitor Visas, ETAs and eVisitors

From 28 November 2026, every new visitor visa, Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) and eVisitor will come with condition 8503 No Further Stay. If you are planning to come to Australia as a visitor and later apply for a partner, student, skilled or other visa from inside Australia, this change matters to you.

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What is changing

Until now, condition 8503 was often a case by case decision. It was always imposed on the Sponsored Family and Frequent Traveller streams, and on sponsored Tourist stream visas, but for most Tourist and Business Visitor stream grants the case officer had a choice. It was not normally attached to ETAs or eVisitors.

The Migration Regulations have now been amended so that condition 8503 must be imposed on every visitor visa granted from an application made on or after 28 November 2026. The government announced the change in September 2026 as part of its focus on people using visitor visas as a pathway to stay in Australia.

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Which visas are affected

Visa	Before 28 November 2026	Applications from 28 November 2026
600 Tourist stream	Usually discretionary (mandatory if sponsored)	Mandatory
600 Business Visitor stream	Discretionary	Mandatory
600 Sponsored Family stream	Mandatory	Mandatory
600 Frequent Traveller stream	Mandatory	Mandatory
600 Approved Destination Status stream	Varied	Mandatory
601 ETA	Not normally imposed	Mandatory
651 eVisitor	Not normally imposed	Mandatory

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Who is not affected

The change only applies to new applications. You are not affected if:

• you already hold a visitor visa, ETA or eVisitor, whether or not you are in Australia
• you lodged your visitor visa, ETA or eVisitor application before 28 November 2026, even if it is decided later

Check your grant notice or VEVO record to see which conditions your current visa has. Our guide to visitor visa conditions explains the common ones.

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What condition 8503 means for you

With condition 8503 you cannot be granted a substantive visa while you are in Australia, other than a protection visa. In practice that means you cannot lodge a valid application in Australia for:

• a partner visa, such as the onshore partner visa (subclass 820)
• a student visa or a parent visa
• a skilled or employer sponsored visa
• another visitor visa to stay longer

You can still leave Australia and apply from outside, where the visa allows offshore applications. Our guides on applying for another visitor visa in Australia and switching visas from a visitor visa explain the options in more detail.

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Can condition 8503 be waived

A waiver request can be made after you arrive in Australia, but the bar is high. In general, you need to show that compelling and compassionate circumstances have arisen since your visa was granted, that they are beyond your control and that they have caused a major change in your situation. Examples can include serious illness, a death in the family or a natural disaster in your home country.

There is also a separate waiver route for people who genuinely intend to apply for certain skilled and employer sponsored visas. We explain how it works in our guide to the condition 8503 waiver for skilled and employer visas. Wanting to apply for a partner visa is not, by itself, enough for a waiver. Read our guide on condition 8503 and partner visas before you plan an onshore application.

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What you should do now

• Plan your pathway before you travel: if you may want to apply for a partner, student or work visa in Australia, get advice before you apply for a visitor visa.
• Consider the timing: applications lodged before 28 November 2026 are assessed under the current rules.
• Check your current visa: if you already hold a visitor visa, check whether it has condition 8503. Many do not.
• Do not rely on a waiver: waivers are decided case by case and many requests are refused.