Published 1 October 2026 | Effective 2 October 2026 | Global Consult Planning further study in Australia? New rules restrict who can apply for a further subclass 500 Student visa without leaving Australia. There are exceptions, but holding a Student visa or receiving a new Confirmation...
Published 1 October 2026 | Effective 2 October 2026 | Global Consult
Planning further study in Australia? New rules restrict who can apply for a further subclass 500 Student visa without leaving Australia. There are exceptions, but holding a Student visa or receiving a new Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) does not automatically make an onshore application valid.
The Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 and companion instruments commence on 2 October 2026. These amendments apply to applications made from that date. They do not change the rules applicable to an application already lodged before commencement.
The main rule for current Student visa holders
A current subclass 500 holder applying as the main student must generally apply outside Australia. A main Student visa holder may apply onshore if a specified exception applies. A person holding subclass 500 as a dependent who now wishes to become the main student must apply offshore; the main-student exceptions do not extend to that switch.
Exceptions for current main Student visa holders
1. School, Defence and Foreign Affairs students
These are specified classes under the Regulations. Applicants must meet the relevant legal definition, not simply describe their course as government-supported.
2. Doctoral students
The applicant must be enrolled in a course leading to a doctoral degree when applying. A Master’s course is not automatically a doctoral course.
3. Completing the current principal course
The applicant must hold a subclass 500 visa, have started but not completed the principal course for which that visa was granted, and be able to complete it within 12 months of the end date stated in the CoE issued for that principal course. An alternative principal course may qualify if it is with the same provider and is not inconsistent with the visa conditions.
This is not permission to enrol in any new course or an automatic extra year of visa validity.
4. Progressing to a higher qualification
The applicant must hold subclass 500, have completed the relevant principal course, and be enrolled in no more than one further course. Where the completed course has an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level, the further course must be at a higher AQF level. If the completed course was higher education, the next course must also be a higher-education course delivered by a higher-education provider.
Where the principal course has no AQF level, special rules apply: the further course generally needs an AQF level, unless the applicant was a school student when undertaking the principal course.
- Bachelor to Master’s: may fit the progression exception, subject to the exact courses and remaining requirements.
- Master’s to another Master’s: ordinarily does not meet the higher-AQF requirement.
- Master’s to Diploma: does not meet that progression requirement.
5. Provider default
A student who could not complete a registered course because of provider default may qualify. They must have been enrolled on the default day, require a further Student visa for the specified alternative or subsequent registered study, apply within 12 months after default, and not have made a previous visa application because of the same default.
Provider default includes a course not starting as agreed, stopping before completion, or not being provided in full. Simply preferring another college is not provider default.
Which visa holders cannot apply inside Australia?
LIN 26/102 specifies the following categories. These exclusions are separate from the exceptions for current main Student visa holders.
- 400 Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist)
- 403 Temporary Work (International Relations): Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or Consular) stream only
- 407 Training and 408 Temporary Activity
- 417 Working Holiday and 462 Work and Holiday
- 457 Temporary Work (Skilled)
- 482 Skills in Demand and 482 Temporary Skill Shortage
- 485 Temporary Graduate
- 600 Visitor, 601 Electronic Travel Authority and 651 eVisitor
- 602 Medical Treatment and 771 Transit
- 988 Maritime Crew
- 995 Diplomatic (Temporary): holders granted the visa on the primary criteria in Division 995.2
For example, a 485 or 482 holder cannot use enrolment in a PhD to override the prescribed-visa exclusion. Offshore lodgement is not a guarantee of visa approval.
Bridging visas, expiry and grant location
A Bridging visa is not a substantive visa. Do not assume it permits an onshore Student visa application. The ordinary pathway associated with lodging within 28 days after a Student visa ended has been removed. Narrow statutory exceptions remain and require individual assessment, including particular ART cancellation-review circumstances. Do not let a visa expire expecting to use the former rule.
Applicants required to apply offshore under the new location rules must also be outside Australia when the visa is granted. In other permitted cases, the grant-location rules differ.
Partners and children
Family-member applications are restricted to specified categories, including certain government-sponsored, nationality-based, doctoral and transitional cases. Existing family members and some Australian-born children may qualify under detailed provisions. Existing dependent Student visa holders may also qualify alongside students completing studies or affected by provider default. Do not assume every student can bring or add a partner.
Secondary applicants must apply together with the main applicant under the amended combined-application requirement. A standalone subsequent-entrant application should not be assumed available. Family eligibility and location must be assessed separately.
Check these documents before making a decision
- Current visa grant notice, expiry date and conditions
- Whether subclass 500 was granted as the main student or a dependent
- Original and current CoEs, providers and course dates
- Evidence of completion and AQF levels for further study
- Provider-default evidence where relevant
- Any refusal, cancellation, review proceedings or No Further Stay condition
Meeting a lodgement exception is only the first step. Genuine Student, financial, English, health, character, insurance and other applicable requirements still need assessment. Changing provider and being eligible to lodge a new visa are different questions.
Speak with Global Consult
Our team can review your visa and study history before you commit to another course or application. Contact Global Consult for guidance tailored to your circumstances.
Registered Migration Agents:
Yogendra Poudel — MARN 1797600
Deepak Chhetri — MARN 1688108
Ajay Giri — MARN 2619181
Subodh Poudyal — MARN 2619554
Official sources
- Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 — F2026L01347
- Migration (Student Visa Applications to Be Made from outside Australia) Instrument 2026 (LIN 26/102) — F2026L01348
- Migration (LIN 20/158: Class of Persons for Student (Temporary) (Class TU) Visa Applications) Amendment Instrument 2026 (LIN 26/087) — F2026L01349
General information as at 1 October 2026 about rules commencing 2 October 2026, not individual migration advice. These summaries are not a substitute for checking the complete legal requirements. No visa outcome is guaranteed.
