01/10/2026
🚨 Major Student Visa change from TODAY
Australia has further tightened the rules for applying for a Subclass 500 Student visa while onshore.
From today, if you are in Australia holding one of the following visas, you cannot lodge a Student visa application onshore:
❌ Subclass 400 – Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist)
❌ Subclass 403 – Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or Consular) stream only
❌ Subclass 407 – Training
❌ Subclass 408 – Temporary Activity
❌ Subclass 417 – Working Holiday
❌ Subclass 457 – Temporary Work (Skilled)
❌ Subclass 462 – Work and Holiday
❌ Subclass 482 – Skills in Demand
❌ Subclass 482 – former Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS)
❌ Subclass 485 – Temporary Graduate
❌ Subclass 600 – Visitor
❌ Subclass 601 – Electronic Travel Authority (ETA)
❌ Subclass 602 – Medical Treatment
❌ Subclass 651 – eVisitor
❌ Subclass 771 – Transit
❌ Subclass 988 – Maritime Crew
❌ Certain Subclass 995 – Diplomatic (Temporary) visa holders
The major change is the expansion beyond the Visitor and 485 visa restrictions many people are already familiar with.
If you hold one of these visas and want to study in Australia, you will generally need to leave Australia and lodge your Student visa application from overseas.
If studying is part of your next step in Australia, it is worth checking your options early - particularly before your current visa gets close to expiry.
