On 17 September 2026, Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Tony Burke used a National Press Club speech to announce a package of migration reforms that changes who can bring family to Australia on a student visa, and how students can move between courses.
What was announced
- No family members for most student visas. Secondary applicants will be restricted on most student visas, so the partners and children of most international students — including coursework master’s students — will no longer be able to come with them. The stated exceptions are PhD students, Pacific and ASEAN students, and overseas government-sponsored students.
- Families already in Australia are not affected. The Minister said that students who already have family attached to their visa and onshore will not be broken up, and that the change stops new grants rather than cancelling existing ones.
- Changing provider or course needs a new visa. Students wanting to switch provider or course will have to apply for a new student visa, with exceptions for extenuating circumstances.
- You can only move up the qualification scale. Students continuing study in Australia must progress to a more advanced qualification — bachelor’s to master’s, for example. Moving sideways or down to a cheaper provider, which the government calls “visa hopping”, is being closed off.
- “No further stay” on visitor visas, including for short (three months or less) ELICOS, university or VET courses taken on a visitor visa.
- Working Holiday Maker changes, with a ballot system and a regional work requirement for second and third years.
Why it matters
The government is targeting net overseas migration of 245,000 in 2026–27 and 225,000 in 2027–28, down from about 292,000. Between July 2025 and June 2026, Australia granted 337,400 student visas, of which 46,000 were for dependants — so the dependants restriction removes a substantial slice.
Studymove managing director Keri Ramirez noted that South Asian countries accounted for more than 70% of dependent visas granted offshore last financial year, with 10,448 granted to dependants of students from Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Sri Lanka. If you are an older applicant from one of these markets planning a two-year master’s, this is the change most likely to affect your plans.
Industry reaction
Reaction has been mixed. IEAA chief executive Phil Honeywood said genuine student cohorts would now look elsewhere, arguing that students from key source markets prefer to bring a partner if they will be away for three to four years. The Group of Eight welcomed the PhD exemption as recognition that high-quality research students matter to Australia’s skills pipeline. Universities Australia pointed out that commencements are already tracking about 8% below last year, under the 295,000 planning level the government itself set for 2026 and 2027.
Update — 2 October 2026: the rules are now in force
The legislative changes commenced on 2 October 2026, and the Department of Home Affairs has published the detail. The dependants restriction applies as announced, with exceptions for PhD students, DFAT and Defence sponsored students, students fully funded by a foreign government scholarship, and passport holders from eligible Pacific and ASEAN countries. Family members who already held a student visa as a secondary applicant on 2 October 2026, or who applied before that date, are not affected.
Two details went beyond the September announcement. Family members must now apply at the same time and place as the main student, which closes the subsequent entrant route entirely. And most temporary visa holders in Australia — including 417, 462, 482 and 485 holders — can no longer lodge a subclass 500 or 590 application onshore at all; they must be outside Australia both when they apply and when the visa is granted.
For the full barred-subclass list and the onshore exemptions for current student visa holders, see Australia’s new student visa rules start 2 October 2026.
See also the ConsultancyCheck Student Visa Approval Tracker for current refusal rates, fees and post-study work rights across eight destinations.
Sources
- Minister for Home Affairs — Speech to the National Press Club, 17 September 2026
- ICEF Monitor — Australia moves to reduce net migration with new restrictions on student family members and “visa hopping” (17 September 2026)
- Department of Home Affairs — Changes to Student visa application rules (subclasses 500 & 590), in force 2 October 2026