Onshore · Visa ending
My Visa Is Expiring Soon — What Can I Do?
The date on your visa grant notice is the one date in Australian migration that cannot be fixed after it passes. Before it, most options are still open: you can usually lodge a new application from inside Australia and stay lawfully while it is decided. After it, many of those options close or become much harder. This page explains what has to happen before the date and what commonly gets in the way. Which option fits you depends on your visa, its conditions and your history.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - The deadline that matters
- The expiry on your grant notice
- Lodge before expiry
- Usually keeps you lawful
- Since 2 Oct 2026
- Most onshore student applications closed
The migration agent that other migration agents learn from. WIDEN is an OMARA-approved CPD provider — our training is rated ★4.8 by 40+ registered migration agents.
About the CPD →MARN 1576536
Weeks left on your visa? Settle the plan before the date, not after.
In the consultation I read your grant notice and conditions, check which applications you can still lodge from inside Australia, and set out the order and the dates. Bring your grant notice and passport.
What it costs. $330 inc. GST for 30 minutes by video with Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536), credited in full against our professional fee if you engage WIDEN. Advice confirmed in writing after the call. There is no free consultation or free assessment.
Why the date matters so much
While your visa is in effect you are lawful, and most onshore applications can be lodged. The day after it ends, you are unlawful unless another visa is in effect, and many visa applications then become unavailable from inside Australia, or available only if extra criteria are met. The rules on what counts as a valid application are strict, so the time to settle the plan is while there are still weeks to spare.
What usually keeps you lawful
Lodging a valid application for a new substantive visa from inside Australia, before your current visa ends, usually gives you a bridging visa that keeps you lawful while the new application is decided. The bridging visa follows the application, so the application has to be the right one: valid, for a visa you can genuinely apply for onshore, with the criteria you can meet. An application lodged only to buy time, for a visa you cannot get, can leave you worse off when it is refused. See bridging visas.
What can block an onshore application
- A “no further stay” condition (8503, 8534 or 8535) on your current visa. It stops most onshore applications unless the condition is waived, and waivers are narrow.
- A previous refusal or cancellation while you were in Australia, which can bar many onshore applications.
- The visa type itself. Some visas can only be applied for outside Australia, and some onshore applications need you to hold a particular visa when you apply.
- Missing pieces. A skills assessment, English test, nomination or police certificate that is not ready by the date cannot be added later to make the application valid.
Routes that changed in 2026
- Since 2 October 2026, most people in Australia cannot apply for a student visa from inside Australia, so study is no longer a dependable bridge. See migration changes 2026.
- Visitor visas are increasingly granted with a no-further-stay condition, which closes onshore options for visitors.
- Announced but not yet in force: a ballot for second and third working holiday visas, and changes for graduate visa families.
If the date has already passed
Contact a registered migration agent straight away. A Bridging visa E may be available to make arrangements to leave or to resolve your status, and the time since expiry affects future applications and re-entry. See unlawful in Australia: what now.
What to do this week
- Find your grant notice and read the expiry date and the conditions (look for 8503, 8534, 8535).
- Write down every visa you have held in Australia, and any refusals.
- List what is ready: skills assessment, English, a nomination or a relationship you can evidence.
- Book advice while there are still weeks left, not days.
General information only, current at October 2026; not advice on your own case. Outcomes depend on the Department’s assessment of each application; no registered migration agent can guarantee a result (Code of Conduct, Migration Agents Regulations). Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536.
Not sure which visa fits you?
Answer three questions. An automated guide points you to the route that usually applies. General information only.
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Tell Keshab your situation. He reads it personally and replies within a business day with which route fits you and whether a consultation is worth your money. Not an assessment of your file, no advice on it, no obligation.
How this works: Keshab reads every case check himself and replies personally, usually within a business day: which route fits, what it turns on, and whether a consultation is worth your money. If it is, he offers you a time; if it is not, he says so.
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Pick a time — no enquiry needed →Questions we get asked first
What happens if my visa expires while I am in Australia?
You become unlawful unless another visa is in effect, such as a bridging visa from an application lodged in time. Many onshore applications then close or become much harder.
Can I apply for a new visa before mine expires?
Usually yes, if the application is valid and you are not blocked by a no-further-stay condition or a previous refusal. Lodging in time usually gives you a bridging visa.
Can I switch to a student visa to stay longer?
Since 2 October 2026, most people in Australia cannot apply for a student visa onshore, so this is no longer a dependable option.
Does applying for any visa keep me lawful?
Only a valid application for a substantive visa usually gives a bridging visa. An application for a visa you cannot meet can be refused and leave you with less time and fewer options.
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