A lot of worried calls this month come from parents in Punjab whose children are already in Australia. "His visa ends next year. Can he just do another course?" Until recently, the answer was usually yes. From 2 October 2026, it's often no, or not from inside Australia.
If you or your child is in Australia right now, read this before choosing the next course or switching colleges.
The big change in one line
Most people now have to apply for a student visa from outside Australia, and be outside Australia when it's granted. Applying onshore is only possible in specific situations.
Who can't apply onshore anymore
Most temporary visa holders. From 2 October 2026, the list was expanded to include working holiday and work and holiday visas, training and temporary activity visas, and temporary skilled worker visas (including Skills in Demand). Visitor visa and graduate (485) visa holders were already barred. In total, 17 visa types are on the list.
Also: the old 28-day window after a student visa expired, which allowed an onshore application, has been removed. And a person on a student visa as a partner or child can't apply onshore as the main student.
Current students: when you can still apply onshore
If you hold a student visa as the main student, you can apply for another one in Australia only if one of these applies:
- You need up to 12 more months to finish your current main course with the same provider.
- You've completed your main course and are moving to a higher-level course.
- You're a doctoral student, or in primary or secondary school.
- You're sponsored by DFAT or the Department of Defence.
- Your provider can't deliver your course (provider default).
What "higher level" means
The next course must be at a higher level on the Australian Qualifications Framework than the one you finished. Practitioners explain it like this: English course to bachelor's can work onshore; English course to another English course can't. A bachelor's to a vocational graduate diploma can't. A second qualification at the same level doesn't count as progress. And if you finished a higher education course, the next one must also be higher education.
Changing colleges is now harder too
Until 30 June 2027, a new provider generally can't enrol a transferring student until they've completed 12 months of their main course. It was six months before, and is due to return to six months from 1 July 2027. Limited exceptions exist, for example if the current college agrees to release you.
The government has also announced a new "transfer stream" student visa, planned for mid-2027. Students changing provider would need to get this visa before starting at the new college. Details such as fees and criteria hadn't been published at our last check.
The problems students are running into
"My visa ends soon and I wanted to do a cheaper diploma next"
If it's at the same or a lower level, an onshore application generally isn't possible. You'd need to apply from outside Australia, and that application would be assessed fresh, including the Genuine Student requirement.
"I'm on a 485 and want to go back to study"
Graduate visa holders can't apply for a student visa onshore. Any new student application would be made and granted outside Australia.
"I want to switch to a college my friends recommend"
Check where you are against the 12-month transfer rule first, and whether a release letter is possible. Switching without understanding the rules can leave you with enrolment or visa problems.
How to plan from here
- Check your visa end date today, and work backwards. Leave real time for decisions.
- Finish your current course well. Attendance and results matter for any future application.
- If you want to keep studying, choose a genuinely higher-level course that connects to what you've done.
- Don't let your visa lapse hoping for a window that no longer exists.
- If you need to apply offshore, remember you must be outside Australia when it's granted. Plan travel, rent and work commitments around that.
- Get advice before you pay any new college, especially for transfers.
Parents, if your child says "an agent there told me it's fine", ask which exemption applies and ask to see it on the Home Affairs website. A clear answer should take one minute.
You can ask the assistant on this site to talk through your situation in Hindi or Punjabi. For anything involving an onshore application, please also speak to a registered migration agent in Australia.