Student Visa Changes from 2 October 2026: Applying in Australia and Family Members

The Department of Home Affairs has published new rules for the Student visa (subclass 500) and Student Guardian visa (subclass 590). They apply from 2 October 2026. This is a summary of the Home Affairs factsheet “Changes to Student visa application rules”.

Applying for a Student visa while in Australia

• Most temporary visa holders in Australia can no longer lodge a Student or Student Guardian visa application while in Australia. Home Affairs lists the affected visas on its Subclass 500 page.
• Current Student visa holders applying for another Student visa are also affected, unless an exemption applies. This includes people who hold a Student visa as a dependant and want to apply as the main applicant.
• If the rules stop you applying in Australia, you need to be outside Australia when you lodge the application and when the visa is granted.
• Current Student Guardian visa holders can still apply for a further Student Guardian visa in Australia.

Exemptions for applying for another Student visa in Australia

• You need up to 12 more months after your original course end date to finish, with the same education provider.
• You are sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) or Defence.
• You are applying to study a PhD, or primary or secondary school.
• You have completed your main course and are moving on to a course at a higher Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level. Home Affairs lists the exact course combinations that qualify.
• You cannot continue your course because your education provider has defaulted.

Family members

• Student visa applicants can no longer include a partner or dependent children in their application, unless an exemption applies. This also applies to further Student visa applications.
• Exemptions at the time of application: PhD students, people sponsored by DFAT or Defence, people receiving a foreign government scholarship, and eligible students from a Pacific country or an ASEAN member country.
• Current Student visa holders can no longer add family members after the visa has been granted. Home Affairs says there are no exemptions to this rule.

Applications lodged before 2 October 2026

Student visa applications lodged before the new rules started, including applications that included family members, continue to be assessed under the rules in place when they were lodged. Home Affairs states that the changes do not affect your current Student visa.

What about the English test?

This factsheet is about where you can apply and who can be included. It does not set English test scores. For the PTE scores Home Affairs accepts, see our PTE for Australia page and the Home Affairs English language page.