From 2 October 2026, most people in Australia on a temporary visa can no longer apply for a Student visa (subclass 500) or a Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) without leaving the country. Most new Student visa applicants can also no longer include a partner or children.

The Department of Home Affairs confirmed the rules in a factsheet released this week. They put into effect the student measures announced in September, which we covered in What the New Migration Reforms Mean for You.

The changes may affect you if you are:

• applying for a Student visa or Student Guardian visa while in Australia
• a Student visa holder applying for another Student visa in Australia
• including family members in a Student visa application, or hoping they can join you later.

Your current Student visa is not affected. The new rules apply to applications lodged on or after 2 October 2026.

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Applying for a Student visa while in Australia

Most temporary visa holders must now apply offshore. Most temporary visa holders in Australia can no longer lodge a Student or Student Guardian visa application onshore. Visitor visa (subclass 600) and Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) holders have been unable to do so since 1 July 2024. The new rules extend the restriction much further. Home Affairs lists the affected visas on its Subclass 500 Student visa page.

Current students are caught too. The rule also applies to current Student visa holders who want another Student visa, unless an exemption applies. That includes people who hold a Student visa as a dependant and want to apply as the primary applicant.

Offshore at lodgement and at grant. If the rules stop you applying in Australia, you must be outside Australia both when you lodge the application and when the visa is granted.

Student Guardians. Current Student Guardian visa holders can still lodge a further Student Guardian visa application in Australia.

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Who can still apply for another Student visa in Australia

If you hold a Student visa, you may still be able to apply onshore for another one if you:

• need up to 12 more months after your original course end date to finish your studies. You must be continuing with the same education provider. If you have a package of courses, the course you need more time for must be your main course
• are sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) or Defence
• are applying to study for a PhD
• are applying for primary or secondary school studies
• have completed your main course at an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level and are progressing to a course at a higher AQF level
• have completed your school studies and are progressing to a course that does not have an AQF level
• have completed a course without an AQF level and are progressing to a course that has one
• cannot continue your course because your education provider has defaulted.

Higher education condition. If you completed a higher education course, your next course must also be a higher education course delivered by a higher education provider.

In practice, moving up the qualification scale is still possible onshore. Moving sideways or down, for example from a Bachelor degree to a Diploma, generally is not. Your course choice also needs to make sense under the Genuine Student (GS) requirement, which continues to apply.

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Including family members

No family members in new applications. Student visa applicants can no longer include a partner or dependent children in their application, unless an exemption applies. This covers first-time applicants and people applying for a further Student visa.

No subsequent entrants. Current Student visa holders can also no longer add family members as subsequent entrants after their visa has been granted. There are no exemptions to this rule.

Exemptions at the time of application. You may still be able to include family members when you apply if you are:

• studying a PhD
• sponsored by DFAT or Defence
• receiving a foreign government scholarship
• an eligible student from a Pacific country or an ASEAN member country.

Family already on your visa. If family members are already included in your current Student visa and you are applying in Australia, you may be able to include them in your next Student visa application.

Same location rule. The primary applicant and every family member in the application must be in the same location when it is lodged. In other words, all in Australia or all outside Australia.

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Applications lodged before 2 October 2026

Student visa applications lodged before the new rules started will be assessed under the rules in place when they were lodged. This includes applications that included family members.

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What you should do now

Check how the rules apply to you before you enrol in a course, pay tuition, book travel or lodge an application.

• In Australia on another temporary visa: confirm whether you can still apply onshore. If not, plan for an offshore application and time outside Australia until the visa is granted.
• Current students planning further study: check that your next course fits one of the exemptions, particularly the higher AQF level rule.
• Planning to bring your partner or children: work out whether an exemption applies before you lodge. Family members can no longer be added later.
• Finishing your studies: look at your post-study options, including the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) and the pathways in our Student visa to PR guide.

You can start with our Student visa assessment, check current charges on our Student visa fees page, and follow further updates in Student Visa News.

An application that is lodged in the wrong place, or that includes a family member who is not eligible, can cost you the application fee and your plans. To discuss how these changes affect your situation, book a consultation with our registered migration agents and immigration lawyers.

This article is general information based on the Department of Home Affairs factsheet “Changes to Student visa application rules” (October 2026). It is not migration advice for your circumstances.