As of the 2nd of October 2026, the Albanese Labor Government has reformed Australia’s Student visa program to reduce visa hopping, strengthen the integrity of the international education sector, and ensure migration settings support Australia’s national interest. The Government positions international education as a national asset supporting jobs, research, domestic education, economic growth, and long-term community connections.
To protect Australia’s standing as a global education leader, the reforms tighten onshore Student visa access for genuine study purposes, reinforce the Student visa’s temporary study intent, and strengthen controls around how students transition between education providers.
The new rules change who can apply for and be granted a Student visa (subclass 500) or Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) while in Australia, and whether family members can be included. These changes may affect you if you are:
- Applying for a Student visa (subclass 500) or Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) in Australia,
- A Student visa holder applying for another Student visa in Australia, and
- Including family members in a Student visa application, or considering whether they can join later.
Below is a summary snapshot of the new changes that will impact any new student visa applications lodged after the 2nd of October 2026 only:
Therefore, the new changes will reshape Australia’s international student visa program by improving the system’s fairness and integrity. They are designed to reduce “visa hopping” (using Student visas to move into Australia through reasons other than genuine study), to keep numbers and pathways more manageable, and to protect Australia’s high-quality education sector. The reforms also focus on strengthening the temporary purpose of the Student visa so it is mainly granted to people who are truly coming to study helping safeguard Australia’s reputation as a trusted provider of international education.
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