Visa Advisor

11/10/2026

Planning to bring your partner or children over later? For most people, that option has gone. 🛑

From 2 October 2026, family can no longer be added to a Student visa after it has been granted. Not your partner. Not your children.

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✅ Everyone who is coming with you has to be in the application WHEN YOU LODGE IT.

✅ Lodged on or before 1 October? You're fine — the old rules follow your application to the decision, family included.

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⚠️ THERE ARE A FEW NARROW EXCEPTIONS — CHECK BEFORE YOU ASSUME

Your family may still be able to apply separately if:

• You hold a passport from a Pacific country or an ASEAN country
• You are a Defence or Foreign Affairs sponsored student
• Your partner or child is already in Australia and held — or had already applied for — a student visa as your family member before 2 October
• Your child was born in Australia after 2 October

If none of those describe you, treat it as closed.

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⚠️ And one more that catches families.

Everyone on an application now has to apply at the same time and from the same place.

So if your partner is on a 485 or a visitor visa, they can't apply from inside Australia — which means you all have to apply from outside, even if you would have qualified on your own.

If someone told you that you could come first and bring your family later, they were describing the rules as they were before 2 October.

Check where you stand — free:
visaadvisor.com.au/free-australian-visa-assessments

Gobinda Sharma
Registered Migration Agent · MARN 0852408
Verify at mara.gov.au

General information only, not advice for your individual case. No outcome is guaranteed.

08/10/2026

Thinking of changing college? This one works backwards. ⏮️

From 2 October, you generally can't move to another provider until you've completed 12 months of your main course.

It used to be six. It goes back to six on 1 July 2027.

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⚠️ AND IT CAN CATCH YOU EVEN IF YOU WERE ALREADY FREE

If you'd finished six months and were allowed to transfer, you may be restricted AGAIN until you reach 12 months in total.

It's not an extra 12 months from today. It's 12 months of your main course, counted from when you started it.

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✅ FOUR WAYS OUT

• Your provider or your course loses its registration
• Your provider has a sanction imposed on it
• Your government sponsor supports the move in writing
• You ask your provider for EARLY RELEASE on compassionate or compelling grounds

That last one is the one most people don't know about. It covers serious illness, bereavement, a traumatic experience — and also where your provider couldn't offer a prerequisite unit, or you failed one and there's nothing left you can enrol in.

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🛑 AND A PRACTICAL ONE

While you're restricted, a new college literally cannot create your CoE. The system blocks it. No CoE means no visa application.

⚠️ One more: if you do transfer, you may lose the rule that lets you stay in Australia to apply for more time to finish. It only covers the provider your visa was granted for.

Check where you stand — free:
visaadvisor.com.au/free-australian-visa-assessments

Gobinda Sharma
Registered Migration Agent · MARN 0852408
Verify at mara.gov.au

General information only, not advice for your individual case. No outcome is guaranteed.

07/10/2026

Already studying in Australia? This is the post to read. 📌
Swipe through the 8 cards — then the full detail is below.
The student visa rules changed on 2 October.

Your current visa is fine. Nothing happens to it. This is about your NEXT application.
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⚠️ FIRST — CHECK YOUR FAMILY'S VISAS, NOT JUST YOUR OWN

Everyone on the application now has to apply at the same time and from the same place.

If your partner or child is on a 485, a 482 or a visitor visa, they can't apply from inside Australia.

That means ALL of you apply from outside — even if you would have qualified on your own.

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✅ YOU CAN STILL APPLY FROM INSIDE AUSTRALIA IF:

• You're doing a PhD or doctorate
• Your provider closed down and you can't continue — 12 months from that day, one application only
• You're finishing your course, still with the same provider your visa was granted for, and you'll finish within 12 months of the end date on your CoE
• You've finished and are moving UP a level — Diploma to Bachelor, Bachelor to Masters. You can change provider for this one
• You finished an English course and are starting a qualification with an AQF level
• You're a school student, or Defence or Foreign Affairs sponsored

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❌ YOU HAVE TO LEAVE AUSTRALIA TO APPLY IF:

• You're moving to another course at the same level — a Diploma to another Diploma
• You're moving down a level — a degree to a Diploma
• You've changed college and now need more time to finish
• Your visa has already expired

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🔁 THINKING OF CHANGING COLLEGE?

Separate rule, same day. Until 30 June 2027 you generally need 12 months of your main course completed before you can transfer.

And think hard — once you move, the rule that lets you stay here to finish stops covering you.

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✅ Lodged on or before 1 October? Old rules still apply to you.

Check where you stand — free:
visaadvisor.com.au/free-australian-visa-assessments

Gobinda Sharma
Registered Migration Agent · MARN 0852408
Verify at mara.gov.au

General information only, not advice for your individual case. No outcome is guaranteed.

04/10/2026

If you're already studying in Australia, this is the post to read.

The student visa rules changed on 2 October. Your current visa is fine — nothing happens to it. This is about your next application.

First, check your family's visas, not just your own.

Everyone on the application now has to apply at the same time and from the same place. If your partner or child is on a 485, a 482 or a visitor visa, they can't apply from inside Australia — and that means all of you have to apply from outside, even if you would have qualified on your own.

You can still apply from inside Australia if:

✅ You're doing a PhD or doctorate
✅ Your provider closed down and you can't continue — 12 months from that day, one application only
✅ You're finishing your course, still with the same provider your visa was granted for, and you'll finish within 12 months of the end date on your CoE
✅ You've finished and are moving UP a level — Diploma to Bachelor, Bachelor to Masters. You can change provider for this one
✅ You finished an English course and are starting a qualification with an AQF level
✅ You're a school student, or Defence or Foreign Affairs sponsored

You have to leave Australia to apply if:

❌ You're moving to another course at the same level — a Diploma to another Diploma
❌ You're moving down a level — a degree to a Diploma
❌ You've changed college and now need more time to finish. The finishing rule only covers the provider your visa was granted for
❌ Your visa has already expired. There used to be a 28-day rule — it no longer covers students unless the Tribunal set aside a cancellation

Thinking of changing college? Separate rule, same day. Until 30 June 2027 you generally need 12 months of your main course completed before you can transfer. And think hard — once you move, the rule that lets you stay here to finish stops covering you.

Lodged on or before 1 October? Old rules still apply to you.

Check where you stand — free: visaadvisor.com.au/free-australian-visa-assessments

Gobinda Sharma, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 0852408 — verify at mara.gov.au
General information only, not advice for your individual case. No outcome guaranteed.

02/10/2026

If you're on a student visa in Australia, read this one.

The rules changed on 2 October. Your current visa is safe — this is about your next application.

❗ Most people now have to leave Australia to apply for their next Student visa.

You can still apply from here if you: need up to 12 more months to finish with the same provider · are doing a PhD · are DFAT or Defence sponsored · are going into primary or secondary school · are moving UP an AQF level · finished school and are moving to a non-AQF course · finished a non-AQF course and are moving to an AQF one · can't continue because your provider defaulted.

❗ On a visitor visa, a 485, a 482? You can't apply for a student visa from inside Australia any more, and there's no exemption.

❗ Biggest one: you can no longer bring your family over later. Nobody can add family to a Student visa after it's granted. No exemptions. If someone told you that you could bring your partner or children later — that's changed, and you need to know now.

✅ Already lodged before 2 October? You're fine. Old rules apply to your application.

Check where you stand — free: visaadvisor.com.au/free-australian-visa-assessments

General information only, not advice for your individual case. No outcome guaranteed.
Gobinda Sharma, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 0852408 — verify at mara.gov.au

24/09/2026

Announced Thursday. Law by Saturday. Swipe for what actually changed — and for the five things being reported as law that aren't.
On 17 September the Minister said Direction 119 would be "updated". On 19 September it was revoked instead, and Directions 121 and 122 replaced it.
Seven sectors now sit in the first priority band with no location test. Offshore applicants in those sectors gained the most, and it reaches applications already lodged.
Slide 6 is the one to read twice. Student and 485 family restrictions, the working holiday ballot, No Further Stay on visitor visas, the course progression rule and the agent code changes were all announced the same day — none of them has a start date and none is law.
Check your eligibility — free 👉 visaadvisor.com.au/free-australian-visa-assessments
General information only — not individual migration advice. No outcome is guaranteed.
Gobinda Sharma · Registered Migration Agent · MARA 0852408 · verify at mara.gov.au

22/09/2026

Five things announced this week that are NOT law yet:
1. Students and 485 holders no longer bringing family
2. A ballot for second and third year working holiday visas
3. No Further Stay on future visitor visas
4. Course progression only up the qualification scale
5. Changes to the migration agent code of conduct

As at today, the Migration Regulations have not been amended for any of these. The current compilation is C288, dated 1 July 2026. The Minister gave no commencement date for any measure in the speech.

One thing from that speech IS law. Directions 121 and 122 commenced on 19 September and replaced Direction 119. Seven sectors now go first in processing priority, with no location test

20/09/2026

For anyone here on a skilled or sponsored visa, or waiting offshore — something changed on Saturday and it is worth two minutes.
Ministerial Directions 121 and 122 commenced on 19 September. They replaced Direction 119, which set the order applications get picked up.
Seven sectors are now in the top band: construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources. There is no location test in that band, so an offshore applicant in one of those sectors now sits above an onshore applicant who is not. It applies to applications already lodged.
What it does NOT do is make anything faster. It changes the order, not the processing time. There is nothing to lodge and no way to request a higher band, so please don't pay anyone who says they can get you moved up.
Separately — the student family restrictions, working holiday ballot and visitor No Further Stay that were all over the news are announced only. No regulations, no start date.
Happy to answer general questions in the comments. I can't give individual advice here.
Gobinda Sharma, Registered Migration Agent, MARA 0852408 — you can verify that at mara.gov.au. General information only, not individual migration advice.

19/09/2026

19/09/2026

A new Ministerial Direction is in force. Here is what it is and how it affects you.

On 19 September 2026, Ministerial Directions 121 and 122 commenced. They replace Direction 119, which set the order the Department picks up skilled visa applications.

Direction 121 covers the Skills in Demand visa, subclass 482. Direction 122 covers the 186, 189, 190, 191, 491, 494 and the rest of the permanent and provisional skilled program.

The first priority band in both is the same seven sectors: construction, healthcare, teaching, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and resources — plus law enforcement and defence. There is no location test in that band.

How it affects you:

If your occupation is in one of those sectors — you moved up, wherever in the world you applied from. Offshore is no longer a penalty in the first band.

If your occupation is not — you did not move down, but people in those sectors are now ahead of you, including people offshore.

If you already have an application lodged and undecided — this applies to you. Your position may have changed without you doing anything and without anyone telling you.

And if you are an employer — the band follows the nominated occupation, not the industry your business is in.

What it does not do is make anything faster. Priority is the order a file is picked up, not how long a decision takes. There is nothing to lodge and no way to request a higher band.

Check your eligibility — free 👉 visaadvisor.com.au/free-australian-visa-assessments

General information only — not individual migration advice. No outcome is guaranteed.
Gobinda Sharma · Registered Migration Agent · MARA 0852408 · verify at mara.gov.au

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