Student visa changes from 2 October 2026: applying from outside Australia

What changed

The Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 were registered on 1 October 2026 and commenced the next day, 2 October 2026. From that date, new rules for the Student (500) and Student Guardian (590) visas change who can apply and be granted a visa while in Australia, and whether family members can be included.

Applying from outside Australia

• Most temporary visa holders must be outside Australia both when they lodge a Student or Student Guardian application and when the visa is granted.
• A current Student visa holder who wants another Student visa must now lodge from outside Australia unless a limited exemption applies, for example needing up to 12 more months to finish the same main course with the same provider.
• A course-progression exemption lets a Student visa holder lodge another application in Australia when progressing to a higher AQF level, from school studies to a non-AQF course, or from a non-AQF course to an AQF course. It needs a single future course and a minimal gap, normally no more than two calendar months in the teaching year or four between academic years.
• Current Student Guardian (590) holders can still lodge a further Student Guardian application while in Australia.

Family members

• Student visa applicants, including those applying for a further Student visa, can no longer include a partner or dependent children in the application unless an exemption applies.
• Family members can no longer be added to a Student visa after it has been granted, and there are no exemptions to this rule.
• Family can still be included for PhD students, DFAT or Defence sponsored students, foreign government scholarship recipients, and eligible students from Pacific countries and ASEAN member countries.

In a speech on 17 September 2026 the Home Affairs Minister said family members would no longer be attached to international students’ visas or graduate visas, with exceptions such as PhD students and students from the Pacific and ASEAN, and that people already onshore with family attached would keep them.

Who it affects

Current and prospective Student and Student Guardian applicants, and students who planned to bring a partner or children or add them later.

What to check

• Where you will be on the lodgement date and on the grant date.
• Whether an exemption on the Home Affairs pages for applying in Australia or for family members covers your situation. For your own case, ask a registered migration agent (MARA) or an Australian legal practitioner.