Australia student visa since 2 October: no partner or children for most applicants, and most repeat visas must be lodged offshore

Australia’s rules for the Student visa (subclass 500) changed on 2 October 2026. Most new applicants can no longer include a partner or children, and family members can no longer join a student later. Most people already on a student visa in Australia must now lodge their next student visa from outside the country. The changes come from the Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026, registered on 1 October 2026. The Department of Home Affairs last updated its Student visa page on 12 October.

Partners and children

An application lodged on or after 2 October cannot include a partner or dependent child unless the student meets an exemption. Home Affairs says family members “cannot apply as a subsequent entrant (at a later time, separate from your application) in any circumstance”. The exemptions open to Indian applicants are narrow:

• you are studying a PhD (a Master’s by Research does not count);
• you hold a foreign government scholarship that fully funds your studies;
• you are sponsored by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or Department of Defence.

Pacific Island and ASEAN citizens have their own exemption. Applications lodged before 2 October, including those with family members, are decided under the old rules.

A second student visa

A student visa holder can now apply inside Australia only under one of six exemptions. Otherwise the application must be lodged outside Australia, and the applicant must be outside Australia when it is granted. The exemptions most students will look at:

• you need up to 12 more months to finish your main course with the same provider;
• you have finished your main course and are moving to a course at a higher AQF level (after a higher education course, the next one must also be higher education);
• you are starting a PhD, or your provider has defaulted.

So a student finishing a bachelor’s (AQF level 7) can still apply onshore for a master’s (level 9). A student finishing a master’s who wants a second master’s or a graduate diploma must apply from outside Australia. Holders of a Temporary Graduate (485), visitor or Skills in Demand (482) visa cannot apply for a student visa inside Australia at all.

Changing provider

A separate amendment to the National Code means that from 2 October 2026 to 30 June 2027, another provider cannot enrol you until you have completed at least 12 months of your principal course. It was six. The exceptions include a release from your provider recorded in PRISMS, your provider or course losing registration, or written support from a government sponsor. The limit goes back to six months on 1 July 2027. The explanatory statement says further reforms announced on 17 September 2026 include a requirement to get a new visa before changing provider, intended to start in mid-2027.

What to do now

1. If you are married and planning a 2027 intake, assume your partner cannot come on your student visa unless you meet an exemption. They would need a visa of their own.
2. If you are in Australia, check the AQF level of your next course before your visa ends. If it is not higher, plan to apply from India.
3. Before you switch provider, count 12 months from your course start date.

Further reading: Australia student visa 2026: new rules on dependants, onshore applications and transfers, plus fees, funds and the 485 visa.

CareerBox News Desk, reporting on the Australian Department of Home Affairs (Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026, F2026L01347, and its Student visa page updated 12 October 2026) and the Assistant Minister for International Education (National Code amendment on overseas student transfers, F2026L01351). Official portal: immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/student-500. Dates and eligibility change; confirm them on the official portal before you act.