Australian Immigration Daily News

The Migration (Student Visa Applications to Be Made from outside Australia) Instrument 2026 (LIN 26/102) specifies classes of visa holders who must be outside Australia to make a valid application for a Subclass 500 (Student) or Subclass 590 (Student Guardian) visa.

The instrument commences on 2 October 2026 and repeals and replaces LIN 26/068.

Affected visa holders

The offshore application requirement applies to holders of the following visas:

• Subclass 400 – Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist)
• Subclass 407 – Training
• Subclass 408 – Temporary Activity
• Subclass 417 – Working Holiday
• Subclass 457 – Temporary Work (Skilled)
• Subclass 462 – Work and Holiday
• Subclass 482 – Skills in Demand
• Subclass 482 – Temporary Skill Shortage
• Subclass 485 – Temporary Graduate
• Subclass 600 – Visitor
• Subclass 601 – Electronic Travel Authority
• Subclass 602 – Medical Treatment
• Subclass 651 – eVisitor
• Subclass 771 – Transit
• Subclass 988 – Maritime Crew

For these categories, the restriction applies regardless of the visa stream or whether the holder satisfied primary or secondary criteria.

Two further categories are subject to specific limitations:

• Subclass 403 – Temporary Work (International Relations): holders in the Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or Consular) stream only.
• Subclass 995 – Diplomatic (Temporary): primary visa holders only.

Application validity

The instrument operates under subparagraph 1222(4)(a)(ii) of Schedule 1 to the Migration Regulations 1994.

A person in a specified class cannot make a valid onshore application for a Student or Student Guardian visa. An application that does not satisfy the Schedule 1 validity requirements cannot be considered by the Minister.

Purpose and practical implications

The Explanatory Statement identifies the purpose as preventing certain temporary migrants who entered Australia for purposes other than study from using Student or Student Guardian visa applications to prolong their stay.

Registered migration agents and migration lawyers should check the client’s current visa subclass, relevant stream and primary or secondary status before advising on application options. The instrument should be read alongside the Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 and other applicable application requirements.

Source: Migration-Student-Visa-Applications-to-be-made-from-Outside-Australia-Instrument-2026.pdf and

Migration-Student-Visa-Applications-to-be-made-from-Outside-Australia-Instrument-2026-Explanatory-Statement.pdf