Politics · Other · 7 hrs ago
British woman awaits Australian student visa after rule change
Meg Green left Australia to apply for a student visa after a rule change affected people on Working Holiday visas.
The British woman had planned to study IT on the Gold Coast and was due to start an Advanced Diploma in February 2027.
The change requires many Working Holiday visa holders to apply from overseas, as Australia seeks to curb “visa hopping” between temporary visas.
Green said she learned she would have to leave the country shortly after the rule took effect on October 2.
She says the application process has cost her more than $6,500, including flights, accommodation, health cover and fees.
She is now in Bali, where she lodged her application on October 26, and says she has received only an automatic acknowledgement.
She is waiting for a decision before she can move ahead with her study plans; the sources give no date for a decision.
Meg Green is waiting in Bali for a decision on her Australian student visa after a rule change required her to apply from outside the country.
The British woman says the change disrupted her plans to study IT on the Gold Coast and left her more than $6,500 out of pocket.
Green lodged her application on October 26 and says she has received only an automatic acknowledgement.
The Australian government said the rule change was intended to crack down on “visa hopping” by temporary visa holders.
- Who
- Meg Green, a British woman who had been in Australia on a Working Holiday visa.
- What
- She is awaiting a decision on her student visa after leaving Australia to apply from overseas.
- When
- She lodged the application on October 26, after a rule change took effect on October 2.
- Where
- Green is in Bali; she planned to study on the Gold Coast.
- Why
- The rule change required many Working Holiday visa holders to apply for student visas from overseas. The policy was designed to crack down on “visa hopping.
Australian government
Meg Green
Purpose of rule
Australian government
The policy was designed to crack down on “visa hopping” by temporary visa holders seeking to extend their stay in Australia.
Meg Green
Green said the rule change forced her to leave Australia and disrupted her study plans.
Effect
Australian government
The rule change required many Working Holiday visa holders to lodge student visa applications from overseas.
Meg Green
Green said the change left her facing extra costs and uncertainty while awaiting a decision.
The government announced the policy to crack down on “visa hopping.
The new rule took effect, requiring many Working Holiday visa holders to apply for student visas from overseas.
Green said she discovered the rule would require her to leave Australia to apply.
Green lodged her student visa application.
Green was in Bali awaiting a decision and said she had received only an automatic acknowledgement.
- Applicant
- Meg Green, a British woman
- Application date
- October 26, 2026
- Current location
- Bali
- Planned study
- Advanced Diploma of IT at Canterbury Technical Institute, starting in February 2027
- Reported costs
- More than $6,500, including flights, accommodation, visa and health cover costs, and agent fees
- Rule effective date
- October 2, 2026
What people are saying
Australia has decided to throw a huge curveball on us and the timing couldn't be any worse
As of two days ago, I now have to leave the country for potentially four to five weeks and apply for my student visa offshore.
So far, I've only received the automatic acknowledgement from the Department of Home Affairs
There doesn't seem to be a predictable pattern from these experiences, which makes planning incredibly difficult.