Australia Student Visa Onshore Applications: Who Must Now Apply from Outside Australia

TL;DR: From 2 October, most people already in Australia can no longer lodge an Australia student visa onshore application. That includes most current Student visa holders who want a new Student visa. A short list of exemptions remains, such as finishing your course with the same provider or moving up to a higher qualification level. Student visa applicants also generally can no longer include a partner or children. Applications lodged before 2 October keep the old rules.

The Australian Government changed the rules for the Student visa (subclass 500) and the Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) on 2 October. The change is about where you apply from. If you are outside Australia, you can still apply as before. If you are already in Australia on another visa, the door to applying from inside the country has mostly closed.

For anyone planning a long study pathway in Australia, this matters more than it first looks. A course plan that relies on "I will apply for my next visa once I am there" may no longer work.

Planning a study pathway in Australia and unsure the new rules fit your plan? Check your eligibility with Prosper.

What changed on 2 October

The Department of Home Affairs says the new rules "change who can apply for and be granted a Student visa (subclass 500) or Student Guardian visa (subclass 590)" while in Australia. Three things changed at once.

1. Most temporary visa holders in Australia can no longer apply for a Student visa onshore. Home Affairs lists this as including a Student visa holder applying for another Student visa in Australia, and a person on a dependent Student visa who wants to become the main applicant.
2. Family members generally can no longer be included. A Student visa applicant can no longer include a partner or dependent children, and current visa holders cannot add family members after the visa is granted, unless an exemption applies.
3. Current visas stay valid. The change does not cancel or shorten any visa you already hold. Student Guardian visa holders can still lodge a further application while in Australia.

The changes are made by the Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026, registered on 1 October.

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Who can still apply from inside Australia

If you already hold a Student visa, Home Affairs keeps a short list of situations where you can still apply for another Student visa in Australia. This table sets them out against the situations that now need an offshore application.

The pattern is clear. Moving forward through your studies is still protected. Moving sideways, or arriving on one visa and planning to switch to a Student visa later, is not.

Why your first course choice now carries more weight

Under the old rules, a student who needed a new Student visa for a different course could usually lodge it without leaving Australia. From 2 October, unless the next step moves up a level or fits another exemption, a new Student visa means applying from outside Australia. That takes time, money and travel, and it interrupts study.

So the safest plan is one where each step moves up. A diploma that leads into a bachelor's degree, or a bachelor's that leads into a master's, fits the "higher AQF level" exemption. A plan that depends on switching between courses at the same level does not. We covered why first course choice matters in more detail in our guide to Australia student visa course progression.

What it means for families

The family rule hits master's students hardest, because they are more likely to have a partner or children. Home Affairs now allows family members to be included only for a short list of applicants: doctoral students, students sponsored by DFAT or Defence, students on a foreign government scholarship, and eligible Pacific and ASEAN students.

If you planned to bring your family on a master's Student visa, read our guide to Australia student visa dependants alongside this one, and check the Home Affairs factsheet before you pay a deposit.

If you applied before 2 October

Home Affairs says Student visa applications lodged before the new rules started, "including applications that included family members", will continue to be assessed under the rules that applied when they were lodged. If your application is already lodged, you do not need to withdraw it or start again.

What to do now

1. If you are outside Australia, plan your whole pathway before you enrol, so that every later step moves up a level.
2. If you are already in Australia on a Student visa, check whether your next step fits one of the exemptions above before you change course.
3. If you hold a visitor or other temporary visa, expect to apply for a Student visa from outside Australia.
4. If family is part of your plan, check whether you fall into an exempt group before you accept an offer.

FAQ

Can I still apply for an Australian Student visa from outside Australia? Yes. The 2 October change is about applying from inside Australia. Offshore applications continue, subject to the usual requirements.

I am on a Student visa now. Do I lose it? No. Home Affairs says the changes do not affect the validity of current Student visas.

Can I move from a bachelor's to a master's without leaving Australia? Moving up to a higher AQF level after completing your current course is one of the listed exemptions, so you can apply in Australia.

Can my partner come with me on my master's Student visa? Generally no, from 2 October. Family members can be included only for doctoral students, DFAT or Defence sponsored students, foreign government scholarship holders and eligible Pacific and ASEAN students.

PS: The new rules reward a study plan that moves in one direction. If you want help mapping a pathway where every step still qualifies, check your eligibility with Prosper and we will look at your course plan with you.

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