Planning your next course in Australia? Before accepting an offer or arranging travel, check where you are allowed to lodge your next visa application. Australia’s Department of Home Affairs introduced new Student visa application rules on 2 October 2026.
The changes concern Student visas (subclass 500), Student Guardian visas (subclass 590), and family members. International students can still apply if they meet the requirements. However, holding a current visa or receiving a new school offer does not automatically mean you can apply from inside Australia.
Onshore and offshore: what is the difference?
Onshore means you are physically in Australia when you lodge your application. Offshore means you are outside Australia. These terms describe your location, not your nationality or where your education agent works. An application submitted online is still subject to the relevant location requirements.
The main change for current students
Current subclass 500 holders seeking another Student visa generally need to lodge from outside Australia unless a specified exemption applies. Applicants required to lodge offshore must also be outside Australia when their Student visa is granted.
The changes do not themselves cancel your existing Student visa. Continue following its conditions and check its expiry date. A further application is a separate process; it is not an automatic extension of the visa you already hold.
Who may still apply for another Student visa in Australia?
Home Affairs identifies exemptions for eligible current primary Student visa holders. Each has conditions, and all other application requirements still apply.
Completing your studies: you may qualify if you need up to 12 more months beyond the course end date to finish your main course with the same education provider. For a package of courses, this concerns the main course, not simply another course in the package.
Course progression: you may qualify after completing your main course and progressing to a higher Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level. If the completed course was higher education, the next course must also be higher education delivered by a higher education provider.
Progression from non-AQF studies: Home Affairs also identifies completed school studies followed by a non-AQF course, and a completed non-AQF course followed by an AQF qualification.
Other categories include doctoral students, primary or secondary school students, DFAT- or Defence-sponsored students, and students unable to continue because their education provider defaulted.
Details that matter before relying on an exemption
The legislation requires doctoral applicants to be enrolled in a doctoral course when applying. For course progression, the main course must already be completed and the applicant must be enrolled in no more than one further course, subject to the specified progression rules.
For provider default, relevant conditions include being enrolled when the default occurred, applying within 12 months, and not having already applied because of that same default. Provider default concerns a course failing to start, ending prematurely or not being provided in full; it is different from simply deciding to change schools.
The completion-of-studies exemption also has detailed requirements concerning the principal course, the provider and the end date on the Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). A new CoE alone does not establish an exemption.
Practical example: moving to a higher qualification after completing your main course may warrant checking the progression exemption. Choosing a course at the same or a lower level does not meet that higher-level progression test. This is an illustration, not a decision on an individual application.
Which other temporary visa holders must apply offshore?
Instrument LIN 26/102 lists the affected visa categories. These include short-term specialist work (400), training (407), temporary activities (408), Working Holiday (417), skilled temporary work (457), Work and Holiday (462), Skills in Demand and Temporary Skill Shortage (both 482), and Temporary Graduate (485).
The list also covers Visitor (600), Electronic Travel Authority (601), Medical Treatment (602), eVisitor (651), Transit (771) and Maritime Crew (988) visas.
Two entries have specific limits: subclass 403 is included only for the Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or Consular) stream; subclass 995 applies to holders granted on the primary criteria. The instrument contains 17 entries because the two forms of subclass 482 are listed separately.
Home Affairs states there are no exemptions to the offshore application rule for holders of an affected temporary visa. Check the exact subclass and stream on your grant notice against the official guidance before lodging.
What if you are currently a Student visa dependant?
If you hold a Student visa as a dependant and want to become the primary student applicant, Home Affairs says you must apply outside Australia and be outside Australia when the visa is granted. There are no exemptions to this rule.
Current Student Guardian visa holders can continue lodging a further Student Guardian visa application in Australia. This should not be treated as permission to switch to any other visa onshore.
What this means for applicants in the Philippines
If you apply while physically in the Philippines, you are already applying offshore. The announcement does not close Student visa applications to Filipinos. Your course, documents and circumstances still need to meet the applicable requirements.
If you are already in Australia, your current visa, study history and any relevant exemption need checking. A family-member exemption based on nationality is a separate issue from permission to apply onshore.
Can your partner or children be included?
Family members can now be included only where an exemption applies. Home Affairs identifies doctoral students, DFAT- or Defence-sponsored students, foreign government scholarship recipients, and eligible students from Pacific and ASEAN countries. The scholarship provision in the legislation requires the relevant course or courses to be fully funded by a foreign government.
The ASEAN provision is relevant to Filipino applicants. It means the announcement should not be described as a blanket ban on Filipino students including dependants. The applicable criteria and family relationship requirements must still be checked.
Some existing dependants may qualify to apply together with the same student again. Separate provisions also concern existing dependants where the student needs additional time to complete the main course or is affected by provider default. Transitional arrangements include specified existing family visa holders, pre-change applicants and children born in Australia; these cases need individual review.
Eligible family members must apply together with the primary applicant, at the same time and place. Home Affairs states that family members can no longer apply as subsequent entrants after the Student visa has been granted, with no exemptions to that rule. An exemption for including family now is not permission to add them later through a subsequent-entrant application.
Can you return to Australia while an offshore application is pending?
Home Affairs says you may return on another valid visa while the application is processed, but if you are subject to the offshore grant requirement, you must be outside Australia when the Student visa is granted. An offshore application does not provide an associated Bridging visa. Do not assume it extends your permission to stay.
What happens if you lodge in the wrong location?
Home Affairs warns that lodging in Australia when offshore lodgement is required results in an invalid application. Including an ineligible family member makes that person’s application invalid. An invalid application can affect your position if your existing visa expires.
Do not rely on older information suggesting every former student has a 28-day period to apply after expiry. The reform removes the general former-Student-visa pathway and provides a narrow tribunal-related provision with specific criteria. Get individual advice promptly if your visa has expired or been cancelled.
What about applications lodged before 2 October 2026?
Student visa applications lodged before the new rules began, including applications with family members, continue to be assessed under the rules applicable when they were lodged. Preparing documents or paying a school deposit is not the same as lodging a visa application.
Before paying for a course or booking travel
Check your visa subclass and expiry date, your completed and proposed courses, the relevant exemption, family arrangements, and your required location at both lodgement and grant. Allow for processing time before committing to a course start or relocation. Keep your visa grant notice, CoEs and completion records ready for review.
MATES can discuss education options and share published information to help you prepare your questions. Where individual migration advice is required, we can discuss a referral to a registered migration agent.
This article provides general information about changes effective 2 October 2026. Home Affairs guidance rechecked on 4 October 2026. It is not individual migration advice or a determination of visa eligibility. Requirements may change; consult the official sources and obtain advice about your circumstances before making decisions.