Australia restricts student visa applications from within country

Most foreigners and international students in Australia can no longer apply for a student visa from within the country under new rules that took effect on Oct. 2.

According to Australia's Department of Home Affairs, international students seeking this type of visa must now apply and wait for a decision from outside Australia. The same rule applies to their dependants.

People holding other temporary visas, including the subclass 462 Work and Holiday visa, subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa and subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa, are also no longer allowed to apply for a student visa while in Australia as they could previously.

Some groups are exempt, including international students sponsored by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or Department of Defence, school students and PhD candidates; students unable to continue their studies because of faults or breaches by their education providers; and those who have completed their current courses and want to progress to a higher qualification under the Australian Qualifications Framework, such as moving from a bachelor’s degree to a master’s.

The Home Affairs announcement also adds to restrictions on international students bringing family members, which Minister Tony Burke announced in September.

Once granted a student visa, international students will no longer be allowed to add family members later as "subsequent entrants." They will also be unable to bring family members under subsequent student visa applications.

However, students who already have accompanying family members can still include them in their next visa application lodged in Australia.

The University of Adelaide campus. Photo by the university fanpage

From mid-2027, international students who want to change education providers after arriving in Australia will also have to apply through a new student visa transfer pathway. During the transition period, only students who have completed at least 12 months of their principal course will be allowed to move to another institution, except those in the school sector.

The measures follow and expand on changes announced by the Australian government last month as part of its plan to reduce net migration to 225,000 by 2028. International students account for about one-third of temporary visa holders in Australia, making them a major focus of the policy.

According to data from Australia’s Department of Education, more than 680,000 international students were studying in the country as of May. More than 31,000 were Vietnamese, making Vietnam the fourth-largest source country.