Changes affecting your visa

Enrolment, assessments and results

If your current visa is due to expire before you finish your course, you’ll need to apply for a new one. You may find yourself in this situation because you:

• deferred your course start date • failed one or more units • reduced your study load • took intermission (study leave) • transferred to another Monash course • transferred to another college or university • lost your place at Monash • are sitting deferred or supplementary assessments • submitted your thesis later than expected • plan to remain in Australia while under examination after submitting your thesis.

Transferring to another Monash course

There's a chance you may need to apply for a new visa if you change your course.

You don't need a new student visa if you:

• transfer to a course of the same type (e.g. bachelor degree to bachelor degree) and • expect to finish your studies before your current visa expires.

However, you do need a new student visa if:

• you transfer to a course of a different type (e.g. diploma to bachelor degree) or • your new course will take longer and you won't finish before your current visa expires. In this case, make sure to apply for a new student visa just before your current one expires.

You don't need to tell the Department of Home Affairs that you're changing your course, as they will have this information through your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE).

Transferring to another university

You’ll need a release to transfer to another college or university, and you won’t be able to accept any offers until your release has been approved. But you won't need approval for release if you’re transferring to another course after having studied six calendar months of your course at Monash.

Changing your citizenship or visa type

If you change your citizenship or visa type, you need to let us know straight away. For details, see change of residency status.

Extending your stay

To stay in Australia, you need a valid visa. If your visa does not have a condition that prevents you from extending your stay, you may be able to apply for a new visa while your current visa is still valid. Find out what you can do to extend your stay.

If you don’t intend to complete further studies, you may wish to extend your time in Australia to work or travel. While you can’t get a student visa for this purpose, you can apply for a range of other visa types through the Department of Home Affairs.

Compliance reporting

Keep in mind that Monash is required to inform the Department of Home Affairs when you make changes to your enrolment. This includes taking intermission (study leave), changing course, extending the duration of your studies or having your enrolment terminated or suspended.