Checklists for Course Change Applications in Australia: Forms, Emails and Evidence

Our guide on changing course or provider without damaging your visa covers the rules. This one is the practical companion: what to actually send, to whom, and what to keep a copy of, in roughly the order you’ll need it.

Step 1: Confirm which pathway you're actually on

Before drafting anything, confirm two things: whether you’re still within your first six months of your principal course (which determines whether you need a Request for Release), and whether your new course requires a new student visa (generally only if it’s a lower level than your current one, an ELICOS course, or your current visa would expire before the new course finishes). These two answers determine which checklist below actually applies to you – see our full explainer for the specific rules behind each.

If you're within your first six months: the Request for Release checklist

• Get a written offer or letter of intent from the new provider first – most current providers want to see this before considering a release.
• Find your current provider’s specific Request for Release form or process on their own website – this is provider-specific, not a standard government form.
• Gather documentation matching your specific circumstance: a medical certificate for serious illness, a death certificate for bereavement, or evidence of a disaster or traumatic event requiring the move.
• Submit the completed request through your current provider’s official channel (student portal or designated email), and keep a dated copy or confirmation of submission.
• Wait for a written decision – it’s your current provider’s discretionary call against their own transfer policy, not an automatic approval.

Emails worth sending (and keeping copies of)

• To your prospective new provider: confirm exactly what they need from you to issue an offer and, eventually, a Confirmation of Enrolment – this often includes updated academic transcripts, English test evidence, and sometimes financial evidence again.
• To your current provider: your Request for Release (if applicable), or simple notice of your intent to complete your current course and enrol elsewhere afterwards if you’re past the six-month mark.
• To yourself: forward or save copies of every submission confirmation and decision email into one folder. If a decision is ever questioned later, your own timeline of evidence matters.

Evidence checklist for your new provider's offer

Separately from any release process, treat your new enrolment like a fresh application: your new provider will typically want current academic transcripts, valid English test results, and in some cases updated financial evidence, even though you’re already in Australia. Don’t assume documents you supplied for your original enrolment are automatically still valid or on file with a new institution.

After you're approved: what actually happens automatically

Once your current provider agrees to release you (where applicable), they cancel your existing Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) in PRISMS and record their agreement, and only then can your new provider issue you a new CoE. In most cases, this whole exchange happens directly between your providers and the Department of Home Affairs through PRISMS – you generally don’t need to submit anything to Home Affairs yourself, unless your specific change also requires a new visa application, which you would need to lodge separately.

Common mistakes this checklist prevents

• Assuming there’s one universal government form, instead of checking your specific current provider’s own process.
• Not securing a new offer before requesting release, leaving you without a confirmed next step.
• Not keeping copies of submissions and decisions, which matters if a release is refused or delayed and you need to show what you actually submitted and when.
• Assuming a new visa is automatically required (or not required) without actually checking your specific course-level change against the real conditions.

Bottom line

There’s no single universal course-change form – the actual paperwork is provider-specific and depends on whether you’re within your first six months. Secure your new offer first, use your current provider’s own Request for Release process where it applies, keep copies of everything you send and receive, and confirm separately whether your specific change requires a new visa. For the full rules behind each step, see our guide on changing course or provider without damaging your visa.