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Outside Australia When You Apply and When the Visa Is Granted: The New Offshore Rule for Student Visas

This article explains the offshore Student visa rule that took effect on 2 October 2026: most applicants must now apply from outside Australia and also be outside Australia when the visa is granted.

If you apply for a Student visa (subclass 500) from outside Australia, you must now also be outside Australia when the visa is granted. From 2 October 2026, most temporary visa holders can no longer apply for a Student visa while in Australia. For them, applying from overseas and staying overseas until the decision is the route that remains. These changes do not affect current Student visas.

What changed on 2 October 2026

The Australian Government changed two things in the Student visa program:

Who can apply for and be granted a Student visa (subclass 500) or a Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) while in Australia.
Whether family members can be included in a Student visa application or added later.

The stated aim is to strengthen the integrity of the program and keep it aligned with its main purpose: temporary stays in Australia for study. The government says the reforms will not affect the ability of genuine students to study in Australia.

The offshore route in plain terms

If you cannot apply while you are in Australia, you can still apply for a Student visa from outside Australia. But the same location condition runs through the decision: applicants required to apply outside Australia must also be outside Australia when the visa is granted. This applies to affected temporary visa holders, including Working Holiday Maker and Skills in Demand visa holders.

So the two moments to plan around are:

When you lodge the application.
When the visa is decided.

Both need you to be outside Australia.

Student visa holders generally cannot apply for another Student visa while in Australia unless an exemption applies.

Who can still apply inside Australia

Exemptions apply to:

Students sponsored by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) or the Australian Department of Defence.
Students applying to undertake a doctoral degree, or primary or secondary school studies.
Students whose education provider cannot deliver their course, known as a provider default.
Students who need up to 12 additional months to complete their studies with the same education provider.
Students who have completed the main course covered by their current visa and are progressing to a higher-level course.

For Student Guardian visas, current Student Guardian visa holders can continue to apply for another Student Guardian visa while in Australia. If you are planning to apply for one while in Australia, check whether the new application requirements affect you.

Family members on a Student visa

If you are applying for your first or a further Student visa, you can no longer include family members in your application unless an exemption applies.

Exemptions apply to:

Doctoral students.
Nationals of Pacific countries and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries.
Fully-funded foreign government scholarship recipients.
Students sponsored by DFAT or the Department of Defence.

You cannot add family members after your Student visa has been granted. There are no exemptions to this rule.

Families already in Australia

Some arrangements help avoid separating families who are already in Australia. You may include the same family members in a new application if both of these are true:

Those family members were included in your visa or visa application before 2 October 2026.
You are eligible to apply for a further Student visa in Australia.

Student visa applications lodged before 2 October 2026 will continue to be assessed under the rules in place when they were lodged. That includes applications that already included family members.

Changing education providers: the proposed Transfer stream

Further changes to Student visa settings are still being developed. A new Transfer stream within the Student visa subclass is intended to be introduced, and Student visa holders who change education providers would be required to apply for a new visa through it.

The details of the Transfer stream are still being developed. The specifics and the effective date have not yet been officially announced; further information will be made public at the appropriate time. Until then, review official visa requirements before changing your education provider or course.

Temporary Graduate visa

Restrictions on the ability of Temporary Graduate visa applicants to include family members in their application will be introduced.

These rules are still being developed, and the details and effective date have not yet been officially announced. More information will become available as the reform progresses.

Temporary Graduate visa holders continue to have unlimited work rights and can use their Australian qualifications to access graduate work opportunities and progress their careers in Australia or overseas.

Students planning to apply for a Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa should be aware that the application charge increased to A$5,750 on 1 July 2026. Eligible applicants from Pacific Island countries, Timor-Leste and ASEAN member states were excluded from the charge increases.

What to do next

Understand how the changes affect you before making visa, study, travel or relocation plans.
Check whether the new requirements affect any plan to apply for a Student visa while you are in Australia.
Consider how the family member changes affect your plans.
Review official visa requirements before changing your education provider or course.
Use the Department of Home Affairs Document Checklist Tool to check the financial capacity and English language evidence you may need.

If you think these changes may affect you, take the steps above before you lock in plans. For the latest requirements and information about your individual circumstances, refer to the Department of Home Affairs. Individual cases are decided under the department's latest requirements. If you need advice about your individual visa circumstances, contact a migration agent registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority.