Australia student visa rules push new applications offshore from October 2026

Australia's Labor government has changed its student visa rules in a bid to cut net migration, leaving international students already in the country facing new hurdles if they need to extend or change their visas. The measures, which came into effect this month, require most temporary visa holders to travel offshore to apply for a new visa and restrict who can be included as a family member.

Key facts

• The changes took effect in October 2026; a Melbourne-based migration agent described the shift as happening between 1 and 2 October.
• Most temporary visa holders must leave Australia to apply for a new visa, with some exemptions.
• Secondary applicants — partners and dependent children — are restricted on most student visas.
• Student visa holders can no longer add a relative after the visa has been granted.
• About 50% of student visa (subclass 500) higher education applications are estimated to be processed within 16 days, and 90% within four months.
• The government aims to bring net overseas migration down from almost 300,000 a year to 225,000 by mid-2028.

What is changing?

The crackdown targets what the government calls "visa hopping" and onshore student transfers. Under the new student visa rules, most temporary visa holders must leave Australia to lodge an application for a new visa, instead of applying from inside the country.

The rules also restrict secondary applicants — partners and dependent children — on most student visas. In addition, all student visa holders can no longer add a relative to their visa after it has been granted.

Who is affected, and are there exceptions?

Applicants from Pacific and Asean member countries and those studying a PhD are exempt from the restrictions on secondary applicants, and the federal government has made exemptions for PhD students bringing dependants. The assistant minister for international education, Julian Hill, said other exceptions could apply because the government was "not in the business of separating families already onshore in Australia". He said sympathetic consideration would be given to visitor visas where required to keep families together while a student completes their stay in Australia.

Even so, students who have changed course or institution can find their visa end date no longer matches their studies. One 27-year-old master's student from Bangladesh at the Ikon Institute in Adelaide said her visa expires in September next year, four months before her course in early childhood education is due to finish — meaning she would have to travel offshore to apply for a new student visa. A PhD candidate from Indonesia at the University of Sydney said plans to add her husband to her student visa next year have been thrown into disarray by the ban on adding relatives after grant.

How long do applications take?

Department of Home Affairs figures show about 50% of student visa (subclass 500) applications in higher education are estimated to be processed within 16 days, and 90% within four months. A migration agent warned that sending students offshore to lodge applications could leave them in limbo, asking how long they would have to wait abroad.

Why is this happening?

The changes are designed to curb "permanently temporary" migration and help bring net overseas migration down from almost 300,000 a year to 225,000 by mid-2028. University leaders have warned that their institutions are struggling to fill international student places, citing visa uncertainty, high visa refusal rates and a heated political debate on immigration. The Coalition and One Nation have also targeted international students, and the Coalition has proposed abolishing the temporary graduate visa, ahead of the 2028 election.

What this means for travellers

Students in Australia whose visa will expire before their course ends, or who plan to change course or institution, should factor in that a new application may now need to be lodged from outside Australia. Anyone hoping to bring a partner or dependent child after their student visa is granted should check whether an exemption applies, and processing times can run up to four months for the majority of higher education applications.

Further detail on how exceptions will be applied has not been announced in the material reviewed here.