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Student Visa Rules Checker
Reviewed by Mohammad Saghir Khan, Registered Migration Agent (MARN 1170510)Last reviewed:
How to Use This Tool
From 2 October 2026, most people must apply for a Student visa from outside Australia, and most cannot include a partner or children. This checker asks about your current visa and circumstances, then tells you whether an exemption may let you apply in Australia or include your family.
- Choose your lodgement dateSelect whether you will lodge on or after 2 October 2026, or lodged before it. Applications lodged earlier follow the old rules.
- Tell us where you are and which visa you holdPick your location and your current visa. You can confirm your visa in VEVO if you are not sure.
- Tick any exemptions that applyFor example, needing up to 12 more months to finish your course with the same provider, or moving to a higher AQF level course.
- Answer the family questionsIf you want to include a partner or children, tick any family exemptions, such as an ASEAN, Timor-Leste or Pacific passport, or PhD study.
- Read your resultYour result shows whether you can apply in Australia and whether you can include family, with links to the official Home Affairs pages.
What You Will Need
- Your current visa type (check VEVO)
- Your Confirmation of Enrolment or course details
- The country of your passport
Understanding Your Result
- Green: the rules appear to allow what you asked about.
- Amber: it may be possible, but an exemption or condition needs to be confirmed.
- Red: the general rules do not allow it, for example applying in Australia without an exemption.
When to Get Advice
- You hold a bridging visa or your visa expires soon
- You have had a visa refused or cancelled
- Your visa has condition 8503, 8534 or 8535
- You are not sure whether your new course counts as a higher AQF level
Speak with a Registered Migration Agent: call 1300 919 717 or book a consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Plain-English answers to the questions we are asked most often.
What changed for Student visas on 2 October 2026?
Most new Student visa applicants must now apply from outside Australia, and most cannot include a partner or children in their application. Family members also cannot be added after the visa is granted. Applications lodged before 2 October 2026 are assessed under the old rules.
Who can still apply for a Student visa in Australia?
Only current Student visa holders (as the main student) who meet an exemption, such as needing up to 12 more months to finish their course with the same provider, moving to a higher AQF level after completing their main course, PhD or school studies, DFAT or Defence sponsorship, or provider default. Visitor, Temporary Graduate, Working Holiday and Skills in Demand visa holders cannot apply onshore.
Who can still include family members?
PhD students, DFAT or Defence-sponsored students, holders of fully funded foreign government scholarships, and eligible students from ASEAN countries, Timor-Leste and Pacific countries. Family must be included in the same application, lodged at the same time and place.
I lodged my Student visa application before 2 October 2026. Do the new rules apply to me?
No. Applications lodged before 2 October 2026 are assessed under the rules that applied when you lodged. Choose "I lodged before 2 October 2026" in the checker.
What does "moving to a higher AQF level" mean?
The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) ranks qualifications from level 1 to 10, for example Diploma (level 5), Bachelor degree (level 7), Graduate Diploma (level 8), Master's degree (level 9) and Doctoral degree (level 10). The exemption applies if you have completed your main course and your new main course is at a higher level, such as moving from a Diploma to a Bachelor degree.
My Student visa is about to expire and no exemption applies. What can I do?
You will generally need to apply for your next Student visa from outside Australia, and leave before your current visa ends. You may be eligible for a different visa instead, such as a Temporary Graduate (485) visa if you have finished your course. Get advice before your visa expires, because your options narrow once it has ended.
Does the checker save my answers or share them?
No. The tool runs entirely in your web browser. What you enter is not sent to Aussie ASEAN, Home Affairs or anyone else, and we never ask for your passport number or ImmiAccount password.
Is the checker's result final?
No. It is a guide to the general rules. The Department of Home Affairs decides each application, and the exemptions have detailed conditions. If the result is "may be able to", ask a Registered Migration Agent to confirm before you lodge.
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