Settling in Australia through study is becoming harder. Experts say students with genuine study goals are likely to face fewer problems than those using education mainly to seek permanent residency. Hong Hai arrived last year on a working holiday visa and planned to train in Tasmania, find a job, and eventually stay. While he was researching a student visa, the government announced a series of tighter rules.
From October 2, international students may only move up to a higher level of study, not repeat the same or a lower level. Most foreigners can no longer apply for a student visa from inside the country; they must apply and wait abroad. Students will also lose the right to bring partners and children, with exceptions for PhD candidates and students from ASEAN and Pacific nations. In June 2026, the student visa refusal rate reached 24.2 percent, the highest in a decade and up from 7.9 percent in 2016. Hai is now unsure whether to apply, because a refusal would stay on his immigration record.