What are the new Student visa rules in Australia in 2026?
From 2 October 2026, Australia’s new Student visa rules restrict most applicants from including family members, limit who can apply for a Student visa from inside Australia, and change when students can transfer to another education provider. Exemptions apply in some situations.
What changed | New rule |
|---|---|
Family members | Most applicants can no longer include family members unless exempt. |
Applying in Australia | Most affected temporary visa holders can no longer apply onshore. |
Provider transfers | New restrictions apply to when students can transfer providers. |
Important: Your current Student visa is not affected by these changes. Applications lodged before 2 October 2026 will also continue to be assessed under the rules that applied when they were lodged.
This article is written by Erica Carneiro, Registered Migration Agent (MARN 0532487).
Did English requirements change for Australian Student visas in 2026?
No. The new Australian Student visa rules introduced on 2 October 2026 did not change the English language requirements for Student visa (subclass 500) applicants.
IELTS remains an accepted English language test for Australian Student visa applications. If you need to provide proof of English proficiency, the minimum IELTS score depends on your study pathway.
1. Most new Student visa applications can no longer include family members.
From 2 October 2026, most new Student visa applications can no longer include family members, such as a partner or dependent child, unless an exemption applies.
In visa terms, these family members are known as secondary applicants. Previously, eligible family members could be included as part of the student’s visa application.
Who is exempt from the new family member rules?
You can still include your partner and children if you:
are studying a PhD
are sponsored by DFAT or Defence
hold a foreign government scholarship
are an eligible student from a Pacific country or an ASEAN member country.
There is also protection for families who are already here together.
If your family members are already included in your current Student visa, they can generally be included again when you apply for your next Student visa in Australia.
One practical detail from the new rules: the student and the family members must be in the same location when the application is lodged.
One part of the change is also stricter than everything else. A current Student visa holder can no longer add family members after the visa has been granted.
That process, called a subsequent entrant application, has closed, and the Department’s own fact sheet says there are no exemptions to this rule.
If your partner or children were planning to join you later on your current visa, get advice now, because that pathway has changed.
2. Most temporary visa holders can no longer apply for a Student visa from inside Australia
The new rules also change where you apply from. From 2 October, most people who hold a temporary visa in Australia can no longer lodge a Student visa application while they are in the country. The list of affected visas is long.
Affected visas include:
visitor visas
working holiday visas
most temporary work visas, including the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482)
For students already in Australia on a Student visa:
They can still apply for their next Student visa onshore in defined situations:
when you need up to 12 more months to finish your current course with the same provider
when you are moving up to a higher-level qualification
when you are starting a PhD
when you are at school, or when your education provider has closed.
Outside situations like these, the application now has to be made from outside Australia.
In simple terms: the days of arriving on one visa and switching to a Student visa from inside Australia are mostly over. Study plans now need to be made before you travel, not after.
3. The provider transfer restriction has increased to 12 months until 30 June 2027
The rules for changing education providers have also changed.
Until 30 June 2027: You generally need to complete at least 12 months of your main course before transferring to another provider.
From 1 July 2027: The restriction will return to six months.
For school students, the six-month restriction remains unchanged.
Previously, the restriction was only six months. This means most students will need to wait longer before changing providers until 30 June 2027.
Can you transfer before completing 12 months with your provider?
If you have not reached the twelve-month mark, a transfer is still possible, but only in specific situations.
These include when:
Your current provider formally agrees to release you and records the release, with the date and the reason, in PRISMS, the government's enrolment system. A friendly email from your provider is not enough. The release has to be in the system, because that is what your new provider must check before enrolling you.
Your provider or your course has lost its registration (which is what happened to students in the cancelled Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning)).
A government sanction stops you from continuing your course, or your government sponsor supports the move in writing.
If you are thinking about transferring, remember these two things:
Start with your current provider. Follow their formal transfer-request process and ask for the release in writing. Every provider is required to have a documented policy for assessing these requests.
Think about your visa before committing to a new course. If the course you are moving to would need a new Student visa, for example because the level of study changes, the new application rules in this article apply to that visa application too. A transfer decision and a visa decision are now more connected than they used to be.
What has not changed under the new Student visa rules?
Three important things stayed the same:
Your current visa is not affected; these rules are about new applications.
Applications lodged before 2 October 2026, including applications with family members, will be assessed under the rules that applied when they were lodged.
And the Student visa itself did not change this week: the course requirements, the financial requirements and the fees are the same as they were in September.
What IELTS score do you need for an Australian Student visa in 2026?
The minimum IELTS score for an Australian Student visa (subclass 500) is generally 6.0 overall. Some eligible pathways allow lower scores, while other courses (like Nursing) and providers require higher scores.
Here's a guide to the IELTS scores set by the Australian Government for different Student visa pathways.
Study pathway | Minimum IELTS score |
|---|---|
Standard Student visa application | 6.0 |
At least 10 weeks of packaged ELICOS, an eligible pathway program, or a standard or extended foundation program | 5.5 |
At least 20 weeks of packaged ELICOS | 5.0 |
These are the minimum IELTS average band scores under the Migration (English Language Tests and Evidence Exemptions for Subclass 500 (Student) Visas) Instrument 2025. They apply when English test evidence is required. Some applicants are exempt.
Taking IELTS for study? Access our preparation resources
If you need an English proficiency score for your student visa and course application, IELTS offers a wide range of preparation materials to help you achieve your goals.
You can:
Take a full IELTS mock test. Know your current band score, get a personalised study plan, access live classes, and experience what it’s like to take the full IELTS test.
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What should you do after the Student visa changes?
What you need to do depends on your situation:
If you lodged before 2 October: your application is assessed under the old rules. You do not need to do anything.
If you were planning to include your partner or children in a new Student visa application: check the exemptions above before you pay for anything, and get advice if your situation is not clearly covered.
If you are in Australia on a visitor, working holiday, work or 485 visa and planning to study: your Student visa application will now likely need to be lodged from outside Australia. Build that into your course dates and travel plans.
If you are thinking of changing education providers: ask your current provider about release first, before you enrol anywhere new.
Rules that arrive this quickly are easier on people who plan than on people who guess. If any of this touches your situation, get advice that is based on the law, from someone who has read it.
Plan your next study pathway with an IDP counsellor
With these new Student visa rules in effect, choosing a course that supports your study progression is more important than ever.
Whether you're looking to move to a higher qualification or explore study options that better match your career goals, our IDP counsellors can help you find the right next step.
We'll consider your current qualifications, study history, career goals and migration plans to help you explore suitable courses and make informed decisions.
Book a consultation
Get advice about your visa or the new rules
These changes can feel worrying, especially when your visa, studies and plans for your family in Australia are connected.
With the new rules now in effect, making the wrong move could affect your next visa application, your course plans or whether your family can be included.
You don't have to figure it out alone. Book a consultation with a Registered Migration Agent at Bravo Migration, IDP's onshore migration provider, to understand how the new rules apply to your situation before making your next move.
Book a migration consultation