Student visa changes: October 2026 update

What Student visa changes are being introduced and why?

From 2 October 2026, new rules change:

• who can apply and be granted a Student visa (subclass 500) or Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) while in Australia
• whether family members can be included in a Student visa application. 

The Australian Government is changing the Student visa program to strengthen its integrity and uphold the quality of education. The changes will also better align the program with its main purpose: temporary stays in Australia for study.

The reforms aim to reduce misuse of the Student visa program. They will not affect the ability of genuine students to study in Australia.

Could these changes affect me or my visa?

The changes may affect you if you:

• plan to apply for a Student visa while you are in Australia
• want to include family members in a Student visa application or add them later
• are considering changing education providers.

The changes do not affect current Student visas.

Applying for a Student visa in Australia

From 2 October 2026, most temporary visa holders can no longer apply for a Student visa while in Australia. This includes Working Holiday Maker and Skills in Demand visa holders. 

If you are a student visa holder you generally cannot apply for another Student visa while in Australia unless an exemption applies.

Exemptions apply to:

• students sponsored by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) or the Australian Department of Defence
• students applying to undertake a doctoral degree or primary or secondary school studies
• students whose education provider cannot deliver their course, known as a provider default
• students who need up to 12 additional months to complete their studies with the same education provider
• students who have completed the main course covered by their current visa and are progressing to a higher-level course.

What you need to know

• If you cannot apply while you are in Australia, you can still apply for a Student visa from outside Australia.
• If you need to apply for a Student visa outside Australia, you must also be outside Australia when your visa is granted.
• If you already hold a Student visa, these changes do not affect your current visa.

Applying for a Student Guardian visa in Australia

If you are planning to apply for a Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) while in Australia, you should check whether the new application requirements affect you. 

Current Student Guardian visa holders can continue to apply for another Student Guardian visa while in Australia.

Including family members in your visa application

If you are applying for your first or a further Student visa, you can no longer include family members in your application unless an exemption applies. 

The changes aim to better align Student and Temporary Graduate visas with their main purposes: temporary stays in Australia for study and post-study work experience.

Exemptions apply to:

• doctoral students
• nationals of Pacific countries and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries
• fully-funded foreign government scholarship recipients
• students sponsored by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) or the Australian Department of Defence. 

Existing families in Australia

Some arrangements will help avoid separating families already in Australia.

You may include the same family members in a new application if:

• they were included in your visa or visa application before 2 October 2026, and
• you are eligible to apply for a further Student visa in Australia.

What you need to know

• You cannot add family members after your Student visa has been granted. There are no exemptions to this rule.
• Student visa applications lodged before 2 October 2026 will continue to be assessed under the rules in place when they were lodged. This includes applications that already included family members.
• If you cannot include family members in a new Student visa application, you should consider how this may affect your family arrangements before deciding whether to apply.

Changing education providers

If you are considering changing education providers, it is important to know that further changes to Student visa settings are being developed.

A new Transfer stream within the Student visa subclass is intended to be introduced. Student visa holders who change education providers will be required to apply for a new Transfer stream within the Student visa subclass.

The Australian Government is still developing details for the Transfer stream. Further information will be made public at the appropriate time.

Temporary Graduate visa

Restrictions on the ability of Temporary Graduate visa applicants to include family members in their application will be introduced. Further information will become available as this reform is progressed.

Temporary Graduate visa holders continue to have access to unlimited work rights and can use their Australian qualifications to access graduate work opportunities and progress their careers in Australia or overseas.

Students planning to apply for a Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa should be aware that the application charge increased to A$5,750 on 1 July 2026. Eligible applicants from Pacific Island countries, Timor-Leste and ASEAN member states were excluded from the charge increases.

What you should do next

If you think these changes may affect you, there are steps you can take now to better understand your options.

• Understand how the changes affect you before making visa, study, travel or relocation plans.
• Check whether the new requirements may affect any plans to apply for a Student visa while you are in Australia.
• Consider how the family member changes may affect your plans.
• Review official visa requirements before changing your education provider or course.
• Use the Department of Home Affairs Document Checklist Tool to check the financial capacity and English language evidence you may need for a Student visa application.

If you need advice about your individual visa circumstances, contact a migration agent registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority.

Learn more

For the latest information, visit Study Australia – Your guide to visas or Department of Home Affairs official website:

• Department of Home Affairs – Student Visa Reforms
• Department of Home Affairs – Student visa (subclass 500)
• Department of Home Affairs – Student Guardian visa (subclass 590)
• Department of Home Affairs – Document Checklist Tool