Student visa shake-up: new onshore limits, family rules and transfer lock-in

Official release date: 2 October 2026 · Student

From 2 October 2026, holders of 17 temporary visas must apply for Student visas offshore, most students can no longer bring family, and providers must be kept for 12 months before transferring.

Picture this. You are in Australia on a working holiday or a graduate visa, and you have decided your next step is further study. Until recently, you might simply have applied for a Student visa from here. From 2 October 2026, the path looks quite different.

What has changed

Here's the thing. The changes were first flagged in the Government's 17 September 2026 migration reform package and now apply from 2 October 2026. There are several moving parts, so let's take them one at a time.

First, holders of 17 temporary visas must now lodge Student (subclass 500) or Student Guardian (subclass 590) applications from outside Australia and be outside Australia when the visa is granted. These include the 417, 462, 482 (Skills in Demand and TSS), 485, 600, 601, 651, 400, 407, 408 and 988.

Second, current Student visa holders can apply onshore for another Student visa only under limited exemptions:

• Up to 12 extra months with the same provider
• PhD study
• School study
• DFAT or Defence sponsorship
• Progression to a higher AQF level (packaged courses generally do not qualify)
• Provider default

Families and transfers

Most Student visa applicants can no longer include a partner or children. Exemptions apply to PhD students, government-sponsored students, foreign government scholarship holders, and eligible Pacific and ASEAN nationals. No student can add family members after the visa is granted. Similar family restrictions apply to the Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa, although families already in Australia on Student or 485 secondary visas will not be separated.

Non-school students must now stay in their principal course for 12 months before transferring providers, up from 6 months. This applies from 2 October 2026 until 30 June 2027. From 1 July 2027, a new transfer stream will begin, allowing transfers only at the same or a higher AQF level, and onshore transfers from Higher Education to VET will end.

Who is affected

Prospective students already in Australia on other temporary visas, current students planning their next course, students hoping to bring family, and education providers. Existing Student visas are not affected by these changes.

What you should do

Before you enrol, change course or switch providers, check that your plans fit the new rules. Breaching your Student visa conditions, such as changing providers too early or not maintaining enrolment, can lead to visa cancellation, and an invalid or refused application can leave you without a lawful basis to stay. A little planning now protects your study journey.

This is general information only and not personal advice. If you would like to talk through how this applies to you, our registered migration agents and lawyers at Auzworld are here to help.

Official source: Assistant Minister Julian Hill – media release