Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
Applying for the Student visa inside Australia vs Applying from outside Australia
Since 2 October 2026 most temporary visa holders in Australia cannot lodge a Student visa onshore and must apply from outside the country and be outside it when the visa is granted; the exemptions are narrow and centre on current Student visa holders as primary applicants, Student Guardian holders and a short list the Department publishes. Before the change a visitor, a working holiday maker or a graduate could switch to study without leaving; now they leave, lodge, and wait abroad. A current student continuing to a further course reads whether their case is within the exemptions; everyone else plans the study from home.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Who can still lodge onshore
- Current Student visa holders as primary applicants and the other exempt classes the Department lists · Anyone
- Who cannot
- Holders of visitor, working holiday, 400, 407, 408, 482, 485 and most other temporary visas · Not applicable
- Where you must be at grant
- In Australia for an onshore grant · Outside Australia
- Bridging visa
- Yes, after the current visa ends · None
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About the CPD →Side by side
| Applying for the Student visa inside Australia | Applying from outside Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can still lodge onshore | Current Student visa holders as primary applicants and the other exempt classes the Department lists | Anyone |
| Who cannot | Holders of visitor, working holiday, 400, 407, 408, 482, 485 and most other temporary visas | Not applicable |
| Where you must be at grant | In Australia for an onshore grant | Outside Australia |
| Bridging visa | Yes, after the current visa ends | None |
| Charge | $2,500 primary applicant | $2,500 primary applicant |
| Family | Included at lodgement only; no adding later | Included at lodgement only; all in the same place when lodged |
| Watch out | An onshore application lodged by a person outside the exemptions is invalid | Leaving Australia to lodge and returning on a bridging visa no longer works |
Charges are the current government application charges (from 1 July 2026, main applicant) — see the fee calculator for your family's total. Checked 30 October 2026.
The honest verdict
Since 2 October 2026 most temporary visa holders in Australia cannot lodge a Student visa onshore and must apply from outside the country and be outside it when the visa is granted; the exemptions are narrow and centre on current Student visa holders as primary applicants, Student Guardian holders and a short list the Department publishes. Before the change a visitor, a working holiday maker or a graduate could switch to study without leaving; now they leave, lodge, and wait abroad. A current student continuing to a further course reads whether their case is within the exemptions; everyone else plans the study from home.
Which side of that line you fall on depends on facts a table cannot hold — your age, score, occupation's lists, and what evidence you can actually assemble. That is consultation territory, not guesswork territory.
More head-to-heads: 482 vs 494 · 190 vs 491 · 189 vs 190 · 482 vs 186
General information only, not migration advice. Settings shown are the general rules; exemptions and stream variations exist. Migration advice is provided by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) after a paid consultation under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct.
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Questions we get asked first
Applying for the Student visa inside Australia or Applying from outside Australia — which is better?
Since 2 October 2026 most temporary visa holders in Australia cannot lodge a Student visa onshore and must apply from outside the country and be outside it when the visa is granted; the exemptions are narrow and centre on current Student visa holders as primary applicants, Student Guardian holders and a short list the Department publishes. Before the change a visitor, a working holiday maker or a graduate could switch to study without leaving; now they leave, lodge, and wait abroad. A current student continuing to a further course reads whether their case is within the exemptions; everyone else plans the study from home.
What is the main difference between the Applying for the Student visa inside Australia and the Applying from outside Australia?
Who can still lodge onshore: Applying for the Student visa inside Australia — Current Student visa holders as primary applicants and the other exempt classes the Department lists; Applying from outside Australia — Anyone. Who cannot: Applying for the Student visa inside Australia — Holders of visitor, working holiday, 400, 407, 408, 482, 485 and most other temporary visas; Applying from outside Australia — Not applicable. Where you must be at grant: Applying for the Student visa inside Australia — In Australia for an onshore grant; Applying from outside Australia — Outside Australia.
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