Student Visa Changes: Onshore Applications and Family Inclusion Restricted
From Oct 2, 2026, most Student visa holders in Australia can no longer apply onshore for a further Student visa — and family members can no longer be added to a Student visa after it is granted. The changes apply to applications made on or after that date.
What has changed
Three instruments work together to restrict where a Student visa application can be made and who can be included in it.
Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 sets the core rules. Student visa holders must apply offshore for a further Student visa unless exempt. Family members must apply at the same time and place as the primary applicant, and combined with that application. The addition of secondary applicants is restricted. Applicants required to apply offshore must also be outside Australia at the time of grant, not only at the time of application.
LIN 26/102 specifies which visa holders must apply from outside Australia. It names 16 subclasses in total, appearing as 17 listings because subclass 482 is listed twice.
LIN 26/087 amends the Class TU classes of persons instrument. It specifies four classes of primary applicant who may still apply onshore, and four classes of family member who may apply as secondary applicants.
Who must now apply offshore
Holders of the following visas must leave Australia to lodge a Student visa application, and must be outside Australia when it is granted.
Subclass Visa Status
400 Short Stay Specialist Newly added
407 Training Newly added
408 Temporary Activity Newly added
417 Working Holiday Newly added
457 Temporary Work (Skilled) Newly added
462 Work and Holiday Newly added
482 Skills in Demand Newly added
482 Temporary Skill Shortage Newly added
403 Domestic Worker stream only Already listed
485 Temporary Graduate Already listed
600 Visitor Already listed
601 Electronic Travel Authority Already listed
602 Medical Treatment Already listed
651 eVisitor Already listed
771 Transit Already listed
988 Maritime Crew Already listed
995 Diplomatic (primary criteria) Already listed
The eight newly added subclasses are the significant change. Working Holiday and Work and Holiday holders, Temporary Graduates and skilled workers on 482 and 457 visas now all sit outside the onshore pathway.
Who can still apply in Australia
Primary applicants who already hold a Student visa may still apply onshore in these cases:
- Defence students
- Foreign Affairs students
- School students
- Doctoral students
- Provider default
- Completion of studies
- Course progression
All other requirements for a valid application still have to be met. Falling into one of these categories removes the offshore requirement; it does not waive anything else.
Family members as secondary applicants
A secondary applicant can be included only where both sides of the test are met.
The primary applicant must be a Defence or Foreign Affairs student, a holder of a specified Pacific or ASEAN passport, a student fully funded by a foreign government, a doctoral student, a student affected by provider default, or a student completing their studies.
The secondary applicant must be an existing applicant or visa holder who was in Australia at commencement, or a child born in Australia to a Student visa holder.
Two rules sit underneath this and are the ones most likely to catch people out.
No subsequent entrants. Family members can no longer be added after the Student visa is granted. A partner or child left out of the original application cannot be brought in later through this pathway.
One applicant offshore means all applicants offshore. If one member of the family must apply offshore, every family member must apply offshore.
What this means in practice
The trigger is the application date. The amendments apply to visa applications made on or after 2 October 2026, so the question for anyone affected is when their application was lodged, not when their current visa was granted or expires.
Four practical consequences follow:
- Onshore visa hopping is largely closed. The common routes into a Student visa from a Visitor, Working Holiday or Temporary Graduate visa now require departure from Australia.
- Being outside Australia at grant matters as much as at lodgement. An applicant who leaves to apply and returns before the decision will not meet the requirement.
- Family composition has to be settled before lodgement. With subsequent entrants closed, a partner or child not included at the time of application has no later route in.
- A single family member can move the whole application offshore. It is worth checking each person's status against the list before planning where to lodge.
Anyone currently in Australia on one of the affected visas and considering further study should review their position against these rules now rather than closer to their visa expiry.
Sources
Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026
LIN 26/102 (F2026L01348)
LIN 26/087 (F2026L01349)
Based on a migration legislation update prepared by the Migration Institute of Australia, generated 2 October 2026.
This post is general information only and is not legal or migration advice. Individual circumstances vary, and anyone affected should seek advice from a registered migration agent or immigration lawyer before acting.