Daniel is 27, from Bogotá, and finishes a Diploma of Hospitality Management in Melbourne in November 2026. He wants to stay for an Advanced Diploma at the same college. His housemate Lucas finished a Bachelor of Information Technology in July and holds a Graduate Diploma offer from a private vocational provider. Both plan to lodge their next student visa from their share house in Footscray. Since 2 October 2026, only one of them can.
Short answer: From 2 October 2026 a student visa holder can lodge a further student visa in Australia only under six exemptions. The main one requires a course at a higher AQF level. Every other temporary visa holder, including 485 and working holiday makers, must lodge from outside Australia and be outside at grant. A new 500 application costs $2,500 either way.
The ladder the rule is built on
The Minister described the rule in September as moving up the qualification scale. Home Affairs now applies the Australian Qualifications Framework, which ranks courses from level 1 to level 10. Therefore, the first check is where your current and next courses sit.
| AQF level | Qualification |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | Certificate I, II, III and IV |
| 5 | Diploma |
| 6 | Advanced Diploma, Associate Degree |
| 7 | Bachelor Degree |
| 8 | Bachelor Honours, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma |
| 9 | Masters Degree |
| 10 | Doctoral Degree |
Daniel moves from level 5 to level 6. So he climbs, and he can lodge in Melbourne. Lucas moves from level 7 to level 8, which also looks like a climb. However, Home Affairs adds a second test for higher education graduates. Their next course must also be higher education, at a higher education provider. Lucas’s offer comes from a vocational provider. Consequently, Home Affairs uses his exact situation as an example of someone who cannot apply onshore.
Who cannot lodge in Australia at all
The ladder only matters if you hold a student visa as the primary applicant. Other temporary visa holders now cannot lodge a student visa in Australia under any exemption. The Home Affairs list includes the 485, the 417 and 462, the 482, the 400, 407 and 408, and every visitor visa, ETA and eVisitor.
In addition, a dependant on someone else’s student visa cannot apply as a primary student onshore. For these groups, the only route is to leave, lodge offshore, and stay outside until grant. The 500 visa page sets out the criteria that still apply.
The six exemptions for student visa holders
If you hold a student visa as the primary applicant, check these. Only one needs to fit.
You need up to 12 extra months after the original end date of your main course. You must stay with the same provider. A changed course is fine, but only at the same AQF level or higher.
You are sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or the Department of Defence. The level of the next course does not matter here.
You are applying to study a Doctoral Degree. A Master’s by Research does not count.
You are applying for primary or secondary school studies.
You have completed your main course, or one at the same or higher level. Your next course sits at a higher AQF level. Moreover, higher education must lead to higher education at a higher education provider. Two bridges also count: a course with no AQF level, such as ELICOS, up to one with a level, and school up to a foundation course.
Your education provider has defaulted and you cannot continue your course.
Four pairs that show the line
Home Affairs published its own examples.
| Completed | Next course | Lodge in Australia? |
|---|---|---|
| ELICOS English course | Bachelor Degree | Yes |
| ELICOS English course | Another ELICOS course | No, sideways |
| Year 12 at school | Foundation course | Yes |
| Bachelor at a university | Graduate Diploma at a vocational provider | No, wrong sector |
A second Master’s degree is sideways, so it needs an offshore application. A Diploma after a Bachelor is a step down, so it does too. By contrast, a Bachelor graduate moving to a university Master’s climbs from level 7 to level 9.
Run the check before you pay a deposit
Every box ticked means the location rule does not block you. Nevertheless, the application still faces the genuine student requirement. Our note on what a 500 case officer reads for explains that test.
What an offshore lodgement really costs
Leaving to lodge is not a formality. You must be outside Australia at lodgement and again at grant. Processing times are not promised, so that gap is unknown. During it you cannot study or work in Australia. The charge is $2,500 for the main applicant, as at 1 July 2026.
Can I stay on a visitor visa until graduation instead?
Possibly. Home Affairs says a student whose visa expires before graduation may be eligible for a 600 visitor visa, with a provider letter. However, a visitor visa does not allow a new course, and it cannot lodge a student visa onshore. Read the 600 visa page first.
Daniel’s year, and Lucas’s
- October 2026Daniel confirms his Advanced Diploma is AQF level 6. Lucas asks his university about a Master’s instead.
- November 2026Daniel completes his main course and gathers funds evidence, health cover and a genuine student statement.
- Before visa expiryDaniel lodges in Melbourne under the higher AQF level exemption. Lucas, if he keeps the vocational offer, lodges offshore.
- GrantDaniel waits in Australia on a bridging visa. Lucas must still be outside Australia on grant day.
The family rule sits on the same ladder
The same regulations ended most family inclusion in student visas. Students with family already on their visa keep them only in limited cases. One case is this same higher AQF level progression, lodged in Australia. So a sideways course change costs both the onshore lodgement and the family. We covered that side in the student visa family ban started today.
Why a hopeful onshore application is dangerous
Home Affairs warns that it will not accept an application from someone not eligible to lodge in Australia. An invalid application is not a refusal, and the Administrative Review Tribunal cannot review it. Worse, if your visa has expired by then, you may not be able to apply for any further visa. Therefore, settle the AQF question first.
Graduates have another door. The 485 graduate visa remains open. For many it beats a sideways course at a cheaper provider, the pattern the Minister said he would close.
Frequently asked questions
I finished a Bachelor Degree at a university and want a Graduate Diploma at a TAFE. Can I lodge in Melbourne?
No. Home Affairs gives this as its example of an application that cannot be lodged in Australia. Your completed course was higher education, so the next course must be higher education too. Lodge from outside Australia or choose a university course.
I hold a 485 visa and want to go back to study. Where do I lodge?
Outside Australia. The 485 sits on the list of visas that cannot lodge a student visa in Australia, with no exemptions. You must also be outside Australia when the student visa is granted.
I am on my wife’s student visa as a dependant. Can I apply for my own student visa here?
No. A secondary student visa holder cannot apply as the primary applicant while in Australia. There is no exemption. Your own application must be lodged, and granted, while you are outside Australia.
My Master’s ends in December and I want a second Master’s in a different field. What are my options?
A second Master’s is a sideways move at AQF level 9, so the progression exemption does not apply. You can lodge from outside Australia and wait there for grant. Alternatively, consider a Doctoral Degree at level 10, or the 485 graduate visa if you qualify.
I need six more months to finish the same degree. Do I have to leave?
Usually not. The 12 additional months exemption covers a student finishing the main course with the same education provider. A changed course is fine at the same AQF level or higher. Lodge before your current visa expires.
Rules, visa list, exemptions and examples verified on the Home Affairs Student visa (subclass 500) page, its applying in Australia page and the changes factsheet, 6 October 2026. Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026, registered 1 October 2026. Charge from Home Affairs visa pricing as at 1 July 2026. Minister’s National Press Club speech, 17 September 2026.
General information as at 6 October 2026. Daniel and Lucas are fictional examples. Not legal advice.