Australia's student visa rules changed on 2 October 2026.

As of 2026-10-02 · Fidelity Editorial

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From 2 October 2026, holders of Working Holiday, visitor, 485 and several other visas can no longer apply for a student visa onshore, and new dependant applications and provider transfers are restricted. Here is what has commenced and what has not changed yet.

Main Building, University of Sydney. Photo: Toby Hudson / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Australia's student visa rules changed on 2 October 2026. This is the first tranche of the reforms announced on 17 September (see our summary of the migration overhaul announcement), and the first part to actually commence.

The changes are made by four legislative instruments registered on 1 October 2026: F2026L01347, F2026L01348, F2026L01349 and F2026L01351. Unlike the September announcement, these are rules already in force. They apply to applications lodged on or after 2 October 2026. Below we set out what has commenced and what has not changed yet.

What changed

1. No onshore applications for holders of Working Holiday, visitor, 485, 482 and certain other visas. They must apply offshore.

2. New dependant applications restricted, with only limited exceptions such as existing onshore dependants.

3. Provider transfer restriction extended from 6 months to 12 months, temporarily, until 30 June 2027.

1. Visas that can no longer apply onshore

University of Queensland campus. Photo: Chris Olszewski / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Holders of the following visas can no longer lodge a student visa application in Australia. They must depart Australia, apply from outside, and remain outside Australia until the visa is granted.

• Working Holiday 417 and Work and Holiday 462

• Visitor 600, eVisitor 651, ETA 601 and Medical Treatment 602

• Temporary Graduate 485

• 482 (SID / TSS), 407 Training and 408 Temporary Activity

• Also 400, 403 (Domestic Worker), 457, 771, 988 and 995

The people most directly affected are those in Australia on a Working Holiday or visitor visa who were planning to move onto a student visa. Until now, they could apply onshore and wait for the outcome here. From 2 October, the departure date becomes the starting point of the plan. Because the visa can only be granted while you are outside Australia, lodging offshore and then returning to Australia to wait does not meet the requirement either.

2. Student visa holders must also apply offshore by default.

Existing student visa holders are also expected to apply for their next student visa from outside Australia. There are four exceptions that still allow an onshore application.

The AQF is the Australian Qualifications Framework, the scale of qualification levels. The course progression exception has two conditions. The next course must be at a higher AQF level. And if the principal course was a higher education course, the next course must also be higher education, with a higher education provider. Moving sideways, or moving from a university course down to vocational training, therefore does not fall within this exception.

3. New dependant applications are generally not permitted.

Adding a new dependant to a student visa is now generally not permitted. The exceptions are:

• A person who already holds a student dependant visa in Australia

• A dependant who applied before commencement and was granted on or after it

• A child born in Australia on or after commencement

• Family of doctoral students

• Family of fully funded foreign government scholarship holders

• Family of Defence and Foreign Affairs students

• Family of Pacific-regional and other specified passport holders

Most passports are not on the specified country list. Families already together in Australia on dependant visas fall within an exception. If you were planning to add a partner or child later, during your studies or on your next visa, the first question is whether any of these exceptions applies to you. Dependants of Temporary Graduate (485) visa holders are not covered by this amendment.

4. The provider transfer restriction is now 12 months.

The period during which a student cannot transfer to another provider has been extended. It is a temporary change with a fixed end date.

Exceptions apply where:

• the releasing provider or course ceases to be registered

• the releasing provider has a sanction imposed by the ESOS agency

• the releasing provider agrees to the release and records it in PRISMS

• a government sponsor provides written support

Transfers from a school sector provider remain at 6 months.

What has not changed yet

485 Temporary Graduate dependants

These are not covered by this amendment. However, the government has signalled restrictions in the same direction, so if you have plans that involve 485 dependants, it may be worth reviewing your timing now.

New student visa required to transfer providers

This was announced on 17 September 2026 and is expected to take effect in mid-2027. The explanatory statement describes the current 12-month restriction as a temporary bridge to that reform.

How fast this moved

Announced on 17 September, in force on 2 October: about two weeks. Rules apply as at the date of lodgement, so the longer the gap between planning and lodging, the more room there is for the rules to change in between.

What to check now

1. Whether your current visa is barred from onshore lodgement. If it is, your departure date comes first in the planning.

2. Where you will stay, and at what cost, while offshore. You must wait outside Australia until the visa is granted.

3. Whether dependants can be included. Adding new dependants is generally not possible.

Summary

From 2 October 2026, holders of Working Holiday, visitor, 485, 482 and several other visas must apply for a student visa from outside Australia and stay offshore until it is granted. Student visa holders also apply offshore by default, with four exceptions. New dependant applications are generally closed, and the provider transfer restriction is 12 months until 30 June 2027. The restriction on 485 dependants and the requirement to hold a new student visa before transferring providers have not commenced yet, and the details may differ once the relevant instruments are made.

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