Student Visa (Subclass 500)

The Student Visa (Subclass 500) is the visa used by most international students in Australia. It lets you live in Australia for the length of an eligible CRICOS-registered course and work up to 48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session. From 2 October 2026 most applicants can no longer include a partner or children, and most people already in Australia on a temporary visa must leave to apply. To qualify you need a Confirmation of Enrolment, must satisfy the Genuine Student requirement, show financial capacity and English where required, hold Overseas Student Health Cover, and meet health and character requirements.

At a glance (updated 7 October 2026)

Charges are set by the Australian Government and most index on 1 July each year — the fee that applies is the one current on the day Home Affairs receives your application. Figures current as at 7 October 2026; confirm the current charge on the Department of Home Affairs website before lodgement.

What changed on 2 October 2026

The Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 and two supporting instruments (LIN 26/102 and LIN 26/087) commenced on 2 October 2026. They apply to every Student visa application made on or after that day. Applications lodged before 2 October 2026, including those that included family members, are assessed under the rules that applied when they were lodged, and the changes do not affect a student visa you already hold.

1. Most people in Australia must now leave to apply.

• If you hold a visitor (600 or 601), eVisitor, working holiday (417 or 462), 482, 485, 407, 408, 400, 602 or transit visa, you can no longer lodge a Student visa in Australia. You must apply from outside Australia and be outside Australia when the visa is granted. The Department's guidance for these visa holders gives no exemptions.
• If you hold a Student visa as the main applicant and want another one, you must also apply from outside Australia unless you fit one of the exemptions: you need up to 12 more months with the same provider to finish the main course on your current visa; you have finished your main course and are moving to one further course at a higher AQF level (and, if the finished course was higher education, the next one must be higher education too); you are enrolled in a doctoral degree; you are a school student, or a DFAT or Defence student; or your provider defaulted and you apply within 12 months.
• If you hold a Student visa as a family member and want your own Student visa, you must apply from outside Australia. There is no exemption.
• An application lodged in Australia when the rules require you to be outside Australia is invalid, not refused. You get no bridging visa from an offshore application, and if your current visa has already expired an invalid application can leave you without options.

2. Family members can rarely be included, and never added later.

• A partner or dependent child can be included only if the student is a PhD student, a DFAT or Defence student, on a foreign government scholarship, or an eligible Pacific or ASEAN passport holder; or if the family member is already on the student's current visa and the student is reapplying for up to 12 more months or after a provider default.
• The student and every family member must be in the same place (all in Australia or all outside) when the application is lodged.
• Subsequent entrant applications have ended. Family cannot be added to a Student visa after it is granted, with no exemptions.

3. Course changes. Moving sideways or down the qualification scale no longer supports a further onshore Student visa. Package courses are allowed in an onshore reapplication only for school studies or after a provider default.

The Department's own summary is on its Changes to Student visa application rules pages. The rules are new and the exemptions are narrow, so get your position checked before you enrol, pay or book travel.

This guide explains what matters in a real application: eligibility, the Genuine Student requirement, documents, length of stay, under-18 rules, and the common reasons applications get delayed or refused.

What the Student Visa (Subclass 500) allows

A Student Visa (Subclass 500) generally lets you:

• study full-time in a CRICOS-registered course with an approved education provider

• travel in and out of Australia while the visa is valid

• include a partner or dependent children only in the limited cases listed above (applications made from 2 October 2026)

• work limited hours while your course is in session (subject to visa conditions)

The exact visa duration and conditions depend on your course, your provider, your personal circumstances, and what you submit in your application.

The core requirements (what Home Affairs actually assesses)

1) Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE)

You must have a valid Confirmation of Enrolment for a registered course before you lodge. A CoE is not just “nice to have”—it’s foundational evidence for the visa.

2) Genuine Student (GS) requirement

This is one of the most important parts of the student visa process. The Department assesses whether you are genuinely coming to Australia to study. They look at your personal circumstances, your study history, your reasons for choosing the course and provider, and how your study plan connects to your future goals.

A strong GS profile is consistent, sensible, and supported by documents. A weak one looks like a visa strategy rather than an education plan.

3) Financial capacity

You must be able to show you can pay tuition and support yourself (and dependants, if included). The point isn’t just having money; it’s proving the funds are real, available, and clearly sourced. Weak bank evidence is a common cause of delays and refusal risk.

4) English proficiency

If required for your circumstances, you’ll need evidence of English language ability. Some applicants are exempt based on their nationality or previous study history, but you should treat this as “check carefully, don’t assume.”

5) Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)

Most student visa applicants must hold OSHC for the period they will be in Australia. Missing or incorrect OSHC details can cause unnecessary processing friction.

6) Health and character

Depending on your background and where you’ve lived, you may need health examinations and/or police certificates.

Under 18 applicants: extra rules apply

If the student is under 18, the application must show suitable welfare arrangements. This is not optional. The Department needs evidence that the student will be properly cared for in Australia, and that arrangements align with the course dates and travel plans.

If you are applying for a minor, your strategy and paperwork need to be more precise—especially around dates, guardianship, welfare confirmation, and practical living arrangements.

How long can you stay on a student visa?

Student visas are typically granted in line with the course duration, with additional time after the course ends depending on course length and timing. The final length of stay can vary, so it’s important not to assume you’ll automatically receive a long “buffer” period at the end.

If you are planning travel, future visa steps, or post-study pathways, you should plan based on what is likely—not what you hope.

Work rights on a student visa

Student visa holders can generally work up to 48 hours per fortnight while their course is in session, and unlimited hours during scheduled breaks. Details can change and exceptions apply (especially for certain post-graduate research candidates and certain sectors when policy settings change) — and exceeding the cap can lead to visa cancellation.

If work is a major part of your plan, your approach must still read as “student first.” If the application looks work-driven, the GS assessment becomes harder.

Where student visas go wrong (and how to avoid it)

Most problems come from avoidable issues:

• weak or inconsistent GS answers

• missing documents or documents that don’t match the story

• unclear funding source, large unexplained deposits, or poor bank evidence

• course choice that doesn’t connect with background or goals

• unexplained study gaps

• prior visa refusals or compliance issues not addressed properly — a refused student visa onshore can also trigger a section 48 bar on most further onshore applications

• under-18 welfare documents missing or inconsistent with dates

• last-minute lodgement close to course commencement

A student visa is evidence-driven. If your documents don’t “prove” your claims, the application becomes fragile.

If your student visa has been refused, review rights at the Administrative Review Tribunal are strictly time-limited. Our visa refusals and appeals page explains the process and deadlines, and our article on what happens at the ART after a student visa refusal covers student cases specifically.

Students across Australia — and applying from overseas

Migration Vision advises students at every Australian campus and applicants still overseas — online consultations in English, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi, timed for your home time zone. A large part of our student work is pathway planning: choosing courses that hold up at GS assessment now and still make sense at the 485 and skilled stages later — decided before you pay tuition, not after.

FAQs

How much does the student visa cost in 2026?

The application charge is $2,500 for applications lodged on or after 1 July 2026, with $2,050 for ELICOS-only and non-award study. Concessional charges for eligible ASEAN and Pacific or Timor-Leste applicants are applied in ImmiAccount. OSHC, health checks and English tests are extra.

How long does a student visa take to process?

Student visa processing time varies by course sector. When read on 31 October 2026 (tool last updated 29 September 2026), the Department's processing-times tool showed higher education and postgraduate research applications decided faster than VET and schools applications. Check the tool for your sector's current figures before you lodge, because they change.

Times vary sharply by education sector. On the Home Affairs tool updated 29 September 2026, half of higher-education applications were decided in 16 days and 90% within 4 months, while VET applications ran at 50% in 53 days and 90% in 7 months. Applications lodged outside Australia are processed under Ministerial Direction 115 priorities. Lodging a complete, decision-ready file well before your course starts is the single best protection.

How many hours can I work on a student visa?

Up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and unlimited hours during scheduled breaks. Exceeding the cap can lead to visa cancellation.

What is the Genuine Student requirement?

Every applicant must satisfy the Genuine Student criterion — demonstrating that study is the primary purpose of coming to Australia, supported by academic history, course relevance, financial capacity and personal circumstances. A weak GS statement is one of the most common refusal reasons.

Can I get permanent residency after a student visa?

There is no automatic path, but the most common route is Student (500) → Temporary Graduate (485) → skilled migration (189/190/491) or employer sponsorship (482/186). Each step has its own criteria, and course choice affects which later visas you can qualify for — which is why we plan the pathway before enrolment.

What happens if my student visa is refused?

An onshore refusal usually carries review rights at the Administrative Review Tribunal within a strict deadline, and may trigger a section 48 bar on most further onshore applications. Get advice quickly — the review window is short.

Can I bring my family on a student visa?

For applications made from 2 October 2026, usually not. A partner or dependent children can be included only if you are a PhD student, a DFAT or Defence-sponsored student, a foreign government scholarship holder, or an eligible Pacific or ASEAN passport holder, or if they are already on your current student visa and you are reapplying to finish your course or after a provider default. Family cannot be added after the visa is granted. Where family can be included, extra charges and funds apply.

Can I apply for another student visa while I am in Australia?

If you hold a student visa as the main applicant, only if you meet an exemption: up to 12 more months with the same provider to finish your main course, one further course at a higher AQF level, a doctoral degree, school study, DFAT or Defence sponsorship, or a provider default. A holder of another substantive visa that is not on the Department's barred list can still lodge in Australia. Holders of visitor, working holiday, 482, 485 and most other temporary visas must apply from outside Australia and be outside Australia when the visa is granted. An application lodged in Australia when you had to be offshore is invalid.

How Migration Vision helps

At Migration Vision, we treat student visa work as structured case preparation, not form-filling.

We help you:

• assess eligibility and risk before you pay tuition or lodge

• shape a credible GS narrative supported by evidence

• prepare decision-ready documentation (clean, consistent, complete)

• manage complex cases: study gaps, course changes, prior refusals, weak financial profiles

• plan the visa pathway beyond study where appropriate (without turning the application into a “work visa plan”)

Reviewed by Dr Asad Muhammad Khan, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 2619525. Updated 7 October 2026 — the 2 October 2026 rules read from the Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 (F2026L01347), LIN 26/102 (F2026L01348) and LIN 26/087 (F2026L01349) on legislation.gov.au and from the Department of Home Affairs subclass 500 and "Changes to Student visa application rules" pages; the charge re-checked on the subclass 500 page and processing times re-read from the Home Affairs global visa processing times tool (tool updated 29 September 2026) on that date. Figures current as at 7 October 2026; confirm the current charge with the Department of Home Affairs before lodgement. This page is general information, not migration advice for your circumstances.