British woman’s Aussie dream turns to nightmare after visa rule change she says forced her overseas and left her $6,500 out of pocket

Meg Green’s plan to study IT on Australia’s Gold Coast has been disrupted by a visa rule change that required her to leave the country and apply for a student visa from overseas. The change is intended to curb “visa hopping”, but Green says its timing left her uncertain about her plans and facing substantial extra costs.

Green arrived in Australia on a Working Holiday visa in November 2023 and planned to start an Advanced Diploma of IT in February 2027. She applied for a student visa on 26 October and is waiting in Bali; her reported costs include $900 for flights, $1,500 a month for accommodation, a $2,500 application fee, $1,300 for health cover and $250 in agent fees. She said she had received only an automatic acknowledgement, while agents told her of other applicants receiving decisions after 11 and 15 days.