Under the new rules, most temporary visa holders need to be outside Australia when they lodge a Student or Student Guardian visa application. Those affected temporary visa holders also need to be outside Australia when the visa is granted.
For a list of affected temporary visas, see Subclass 500 Student visa.
Applying for another Student visa
There are new rules for current Student visa holders who want to apply for another Student visa while in Australia.
Unless you meet limited exemption criteria, you will now need to be outside Australia when you lodge your application. You must also be outside Australia when your visa is granted.
If you hold a Student visa as a dependant and want to apply for a Student visa as the primary applicant, you must lodge your application from outside Australia and be outside Australia when the visa is granted. There are no exemptions to this rule.
The changes do not affect your current Student visa.
Current Student Guardian (subclass 590) visa holders can continue to lodge a further Student Guardian visa application while in Australia.
Exemptions
Lodging in Australia if you hold a temporary visa other than a Student visa
There are no exemptions to the rule if you hold an
affected temporary visa.
You can only apply from outside Australia and you must be outside Australia when the visa is granted.
Lodging in Australia if you currently hold a Student visa
If are a Student visa holder, you may be able to apply for another Student visa in Australia if you:
- need up to 12 more months after your original course end date to complete your studies. You must be continuing to study with the same education provider. If you have a package of courses, the course you need more time to complete must be your main course.
- are sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) or Defence
- are applying to study a PhD Degree
- are applying to do primary or secondary school studies
- have completed your main course that has an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level and are progressing to a course at a higher AQF level*.
- have completed your school studies and are progressing to a course that does not have an AQF level
- have completed a course that does not have an AQF level and you are progressing to a course that does have an AQF level
- cannot continue your course because your education provider has defaulted.
*Note: If you completed a higher education course, your next course must also be a higher education course delivered by a higher education provider.
Packaged courses
If you are a Student visa holder and meet an exemption that allows you to apply for a further Student visa in Australia, you cannot package courses together unless:
- you are applying to undertake primary or secondary school studies
- you are applying to study a PhD Degree, or
- your education provider has defaulted.
If you are
applying under the course progression exemption, you cannot package courses and must be enrolled in only one future course of study
when you apply.
If you are enrolled in more than one
future course, you may not meet the requirements for a valid application.
You are expected to begin your next course in the first available intake after completing your current course. The gap between courses should be minimal and, in most cases, no longer than two calendar months during the teaching year or four calendar months between standard academic years.
For example if you:
- are a Year 12 student relying on the course progression exemption, you cannot apply in Australia for a package that includes a Foundation course followed by a Bachelor Degree. You will need to apply outside Australia
- have finished a Bachelor Degree and you are applying to undertake a Graduate Certificate and a Master’s Degree, you will need to apply outside Australia.
Understanding AQF levels
Australian qualifications are ranked from level 1 to level 10 by the
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
Check the AQF level of your current and proposed course to see whether you meet the course progression exemption.
