Tourists who lodge from 28 November will have to leave Australia to apply for any other visa, even if they fall in love here

Meet someone on holiday in Byron Bay, land a job offer in Perth, or decide halfway through visiting the grandchildren that you never want to leave: from 28 November, a new visitor to Australia who wants to stay on will generally have to fly out and apply from overseas.

The Migration Amendment (Preventing Further Stay for Visitor Visas) Regulations 2026 were registered on Friday 13 November and are administered by the Department of Home Affairs. They make visa condition 8503, “No Further Stay”, mandatory on the three visas most tourists, family visitors and short business travellers use.

Until now the condition was imposed on some subclass 600 visitor visas, and was compulsory for several of its streams, but not on the quick online ETA or the free eVisitor. That gap is what closes.

Who does it catch?

Almost every new short-term visitor. The ETA (subclass 601) covers passport holders from countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and Singapore. The eVisitor (subclass 651) is free for citizens of most European countries, among them France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Both usually allow multiple trips over 12 months, of up to three months each. The Visitor visa (subclass 600) covers tourism, family visits and some business travel for everyone else.

Working holiday and student visas are not covered by this change.

Does it matter when I fly?

No. It matters when you apply. An ETA lodged on 20 November will not carry the condition, even if its holder arrives in January. One lodged on 28 November will. Anyone already holding a subclass 600 visa should check its conditions in the government’s Visa Entitlement Verification Online service, VEVO, or on their grant notice, because 8503 may already be on it.

For families in Australia expecting relatives over Christmas who might want to talk about a longer stay, that makes the next fortnight the window to think about which visa to apply for.

What can a visitor still apply for?

Certain applications, including protection visa applications, can still be made by someone holding the condition. Otherwise, the way around it is a waiver, and the bar is high.

Home Affairs’ guidance says a waiver may be granted when circumstances change in a major way after the visa is granted, and beyond the holder’s control. Its examples are a medical condition that makes travel impossible, the death or serious illness of a close family member, a natural disaster in the visitor’s home country, and war or civil unrest that stops them going home. Wanting to stay longer is not enough. Neither is starting a relationship with, or marrying, an Australian. Asking for a waiver does not let anyone stay past their permitted date.

Why now?

The rule is the legal follow-through on the migration changes Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced at the National Press Club on 17 September, which targeted “visa hopping”: using one temporary visa as a stepping stone to the next to stay in Australia for years. That package also said tourists who overstay would face detention, and promised tighter rules for students who move between courses to extend their time in the country.

The government’s case is that a visitor visa should mean a visit. For anyone coming this summer on a three-month ETA, the practical message is simpler: if there is any chance you will want to stay longer, sort out the right visa before you get on the plane.

Who loses out?

The people most likely to feel it are those whose plans genuinely change. That includes a partner who meets someone here, a skilled visitor who is offered a job mid-trip, and a parent who comes for a birth and finds the family needs them for longer. Under the old arrangement, many of them could lodge a new application from a lounge room in Melbourne. From 28 November, it means a return flight and an application from offshore, with the cost and wait that comes with it.