Visa
Australia student visa changes October 2026: new Subclass 500 & 590 rules on onshore applications and family members, explained for Nepali students and families.
Planning to study in Australia, or already there on a Student visa? The Australia student visa changes from October 2026 matter to you. From 2 October 2026, Home Affairs has new rules for the Student visa (subclass 500) and the Student Guardian visa (subclass 590). They change two big things: who can apply while in Australia, and whether partners and children can be included.
According to Home Affairs' official page on the changes, Australia still welcomes students who meet the visa requirements. For Nepali families planning to bring a spouse, or to switch visas onshore, the rules are now quite different. Here's what Home Affairs has confirmed.
Most temporary visa holders in Australia can no longer lodge a Student (500) or Student Guardian (590) visa application while in Australia.
Most Student visa holders can no longer apply for a further Student visa onshore unless they meet one of six exemptions.
Most Student visa applicants can no longer include their partner or dependent children. This also applies to further Student visa applications.
Family members can no longer be added later as "subsequent entrants".
Applications lodged before 2 October 2026 are assessed under the old rules.
Home Affairs says the changes may affect you if you're applying in Australia, you're a current Student visa holder applying for another Student visa, or you want to include family members now or later.
If you're applying from Nepal without family, the main process is the same. You still need a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE), to meet the Genuine Student requirement, to show English results (see our guide to IELTS vs PTE for Australian student visas), to show funds and to hold adequate health cover (OSHC). The biggest changes are for married applicants, students with children, and anyone who planned to apply from inside Australia.
According to the Home Affairs Subclass 500 page, if you hold one of the visas below (as a primary or secondary holder), you cannot apply for a Student visa in Australia, and there are no exemptions:
Visitor-type visas: Subclass 600 Visitor, 601 ETA, 602 Medical Treatment, 651 eVisitor, 771 Transit
Work, training and holiday visas: Subclass 400, 403 (Domestic Worker – Diplomatic/Consular stream), 407 Training, 408 Temporary Activity, 417 Working Holiday, 457, 462 Work and Holiday, 482 Skills in Demand / Temporary Skill Shortage
Graduate visa: Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate
Others: Subclass 988 Maritime Crew, 995 Diplomatic (Temporary) (primary holders only)
If the rules stop you from applying in Australia, Home Affairs says you must be outside Australia when you lodge the application and when the visa is granted.
What this means for you: you can no longer switch from a visitor visa to a Student visa onshore. Graduates on a 485 who want to study again must also apply from outside Australia.
Most Student visa holders must now apply offshore for their next Student visa. You may still be able to apply in Australia as a primary Student visa holder if you meet one of these exemptions:
Exemption 1: Course extension. You need up to 12 more months after your original course end date to finish your main course, with the same education provider.
Exemption 2: DFAT or Defence sponsorship.
Exemption 3: PhD. You're applying for a doctoral degree. Home Affairs notes that a Master's by Research does not count.
Exemption 4: School studies. You're applying for primary or secondary school.
Exemption 5: Course progression. You've completed your main course and are moving to a higher Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level. If your completed course was higher education, the next course must also be higher education with a higher education provider. For example, ELICOS to a Bachelor's is allowed. ELICOS to ELICOS, or a Bachelor's to a VET Graduate Diploma, is not.
Exemption 6: Provider default. You can't continue because your education provider has defaulted.
Important for dependants: if you hold a Student visa as a dependant, you cannot apply as the primary Student visa applicant while in Australia.
Don't "just try" an onshore application. Home Affairs warns that applications lodged in Australia without an exemption will not be accepted. That can affect your visa status, and invalid decisions cannot be reviewed at the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART).
From 2 October 2026, most Student visa applicants can no longer include family members (a partner and/or dependent children under 18) in their application. This also applies to further Student visa applications.
Also, family members can no longer be added after a Student visa is granted, with no exemptions. If you're eligible to include family, they must be in your application from the start.
According to Home Affairs, you may be able to include family members when you apply if you are:
studying a PhD (not a Master's by Research)
sponsored by DFAT or Defence
receiving a foreign government scholarship that fully funds your studies
an eligible national of a listed Pacific Island country or ASEAN member country
Current Student visa holders who already have family on their visa may be able to include those same family members in their next application. This applies in the course extension, provider default or onshore AQF progression situations, and you must have held or applied for a Student visa before 2 October 2026.
When family can be included, they must apply at the same time and from the same location as the student.
What this means for Nepali families: Nepal is not on the Pacific or ASEAN lists. Unless another exemption applies, you generally cannot include your spouse or children in a new Student visa application, and they can't join you later.
The Student Guardian visa lets a parent, custodian or eligible relative (aged 21 or over and nominated in writing) live in Australia to care for a Student visa holder under 18, or older in exceptional circumstances.
Current Student Guardian visa holders can still apply for a further 590 visa in Australia, as long as the student they care for keeps studying in Australia.
Guardians can care for more than one student.
Guardians can study ELICOS for less than 20 hours a week, or do other study or training for up to 3 months.
Guardians cannot work on this visa.
People holding the visas listed above cannot apply for a 590 in Australia. For the 590, the list also includes secondary (dependant) Subclass 500 holders. Anyone who can't apply onshore must apply from outside Australia and be outside Australia when the visa is granted.
For Nepali parents of school students, the 590 is still available. Plan to lodge it from Nepal, ideally at the same time as your child's application.
Home Affairs says Student visa applications lodged before 2 October 2026, including those that included family members, will continue to be assessed under the rules in place when they were lodged. The fact sheet also says the changes do not affect your current Student visa. The new rules matter when you apply for your next one.
If your Student visa expires before your graduation ceremony, Home Affairs says you might be eligible for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) with a letter from your provider confirming the graduation date.
The Assistant Minister's 2 October 2026 announcement also included:
Provider transfers: as an interim measure until 30 June 2027, non-school students must stay in their principal course for 12 months (up from six) before transferring, except in exceptional circumstances.
A new Student visa transfer stream from 1 July 2027: students changing provider will need the new visa before starting at the new provider. Transfers will only be allowed at the same or a higher AQF level.
Temporary Graduate (485) visas will face similar family restrictions.
In Nepal, studying alone: carry on with your plans, with a strong Genuine Student statement and complete documents.
Married or with children: check whether you meet a family exemption before paying deposits.
In Australia on a Visitor, 485, Working Holiday or work visa: plan to apply from outside Australia.
Already on a Student visa: check whether your next course meets one of the six onshore exemptions, especially the AQF progression rule.
The new rules for Subclass 500 and Subclass 590 visas started on 2 October 2026, according to Home Affairs.
Generally no. You would need an exemption: PhD study, DFAT or Defence sponsorship, a fully funded foreign government scholarship, eligible Pacific or ASEAN nationality, or family already on your current Student visa in specific situations.
No. Home Affairs says Student visa holders can no longer add family members as subsequent entrants, with no exemptions.
No. Visitor (600), ETA (601), eVisitor (651) and Temporary Graduate (485) holders cannot lodge a Student visa application in Australia. You must apply from outside Australia, and be outside Australia when the visa is granted.
Home Affairs says applications lodged before 2 October 2026, including those with family members, will be assessed under the rules that applied when they were lodged.
Yes. Current Student Guardian visa holders can still lodge a further 590 application in Australia if the student they care for continues studying in Australia.
This article is general information based on Home Affairs material available on 2 October 2026. It is not legal or migration advice. Visa rules can change at short notice, so always check the official Home Affairs page or speak with a registered migration agent before making visa, study, travel or relocation decisions.
Early, accurate planning matters more than ever. Our team in Nepal and Australia can help you choose the right course and prepare a strong application.
Enquire online: https://everestglobaledu.com/enquiry
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Email: info@everestglobal.com
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