British woman's Australia study plan hit by visa rule change, costing $6,500

Imagine quitting your job to start a new course, then finding out you have to leave the country first. That is what Meg Green, a British woman living in Australia, says happened to her.

She is now in Bali, waiting to hear whether she can come back as a student.

What happened?

Meg arrived in Australia on a Working Holiday visa in November 2023. Her plan was to switch to a student visa and study an Advanced Diploma of IT at the Canterbury Technical Institute on the Gold Coast, starting in February 2027. She has seven years of experience in corporate banking, cyber security and tech.

So she left her hospitality job. Then she found out about a rule that came into force on October 2: many Working Holiday visa holders now have to apply for a student visa from outside Australia.

She says she only discovered this on October 4. With her current visa due to end in about seven weeks, she flew out. She lodged her application on October 26.

Why is it so expensive?

Meg told Yahoo the detour has cost her more than $6,500. Here is her breakdown:

• About $900 for flights
• $1,500 a month for accommodation
• A $2,500 student visa application fee
• $1,300 for Overseas Student Health Cover
• $250 in agent fees

All of that comes on top of her course fees and everyday living costs. So far she has only received an automatic acknowledgement from the Department of Home Affairs (Australia's immigration department). She says there is no clear pattern in how long decisions take, and she expects to be away for four to five weeks.

"In some ways, it feels like we're the first group navigating a completely new process," she said.

Why did the rule change?

The policy was announced on September 17 and aims to crack down on "visa hopping", where temporary visa holders move between visa types to stay longer. It follows earlier tightening. In 2023, the UK-Australia trade deal made the Working Holiday visa more attractive to Britons, raising the age limit to 35. Then in July 2024, Australia stopped visitor and temporary graduate visa holders from applying for student visas from inside the country.

What's next?

Meg is waiting for a decision. Hearing from other recent applicants has given her some hope, she said. Her course is due to start in February 2027.