Australia's new Student visa rules from 2 October: who can still apply from inside the country

If you are an Indian student in Australia and had planned to switch visas or courses from inside the country, the ground shifted on 2 October 2026. The Department of Home Affairs says new rules now apply to the Student visa (subclass 500) and the Student Guardian visa (subclass 590). They change who can apply while in Australia, and they limit when a partner or children can be part of a Student visa application.

The department's wording is direct. Most temporary visa holders in Australia can no longer lodge a Student or Student Guardian application while they are in the country. The list of affected visas is kept on its Subclass 500 Student visa page, so check that list against the visa you hold before you plan anything.

Who is affected

A current Student visa holder who wants another Student visa is covered as well, unless an exemption applies. That includes someone who holds a Student visa as a dependant and now wants to apply as the main applicant. The department is clear that none of this touches the Student visa you already hold.

If the rules stop you from applying in Australia, you have to be outside the country on the day you lodge and still outside it when the visa is granted. For a student who has already paid a deposit or booked a start date, that single point may matter more than the application form itself.

Guardians are treated differently. The fact sheet says a current Student Guardian visa holder can still lodge a further Student Guardian application from inside Australia.

The exemptions for people already studying

The department lists eight situations in which a Student visa holder may still apply for another Student visa from inside Australia. You may need up to 12 more months after your original course end date to finish, as long as you stay with the same education provider. If you are on a package of courses, the course needing the extra time must be the main one. You may be sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or by Defence, or be applying for a PhD, or for primary or secondary school.

Moving up a level counts too. If you finished a main course that carries an Australian Qualifications Framework level and the next course is at a higher level, you can apply in Australia. A higher education course has to be followed by another higher education course from a higher education provider. A student going from a bachelor's degree to a master's degree is the kind of step this exemption describes, though the department decides each case. Finishing school and moving to a course with no AQF level is covered, and so is the reverse. The last exemption is for students who cannot continue because their education provider has defaulted.

Partners and children

The family rules changed as well. Student visa applicants can no longer include a partner or dependent children in the application, and that holds when they apply for a further Student visa. The exceptions are people studying a PhD, students sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or Defence, students on 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 either. The department says there are no exemptions to that rule. If your present visa already includes family and you apply in Australia, you may be able to include them in the next application, but you and everyone on it must be in the same place when it is lodged.

Applications already lodged

Anything lodged before 2 October 2026, including applications that listed family members, will be assessed under the rules that applied on the day it was lodged. The department also advises students to understand the new requirements before enrolling in a course, making travel plans or relocating.

This is general information, not migration advice, and for your own case the department's pages are the place to start. Some readers are still weighing a degree overseas against one closer to home, and we have reported on two foreign universities showing interest in offshore campuses in Hyderabad. Students already planning trips between India and Australia may also want to see what Vi now includes for international roaming.