The rules on family members have tightened. From 2 October 2026, partners and children can only be included in a Student visa application in limited cases, and cannot be added after the visa is granted. This post explains where the rules now sit.

When a family member can be included

A family member can only apply as a secondary applicant if one of the following applies:

• The student is a Defence student or a Foreign Affairs student.
• The student holds a passport from a Pacific-region country (Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu or Vanuatu) or from one of ten listed Southeast Asian countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand or Vietnam).
• The student is enrolled in a doctoral degree, or in courses fully funded by a foreign government.
• The family member already held, or had applied for, a Student visa as a secondary applicant at the time the rules started, or is a child born in Australia after that date to a student who held or had applied for a Student visa at that time.
• The student is affected by provider default, or is completing their principal course, and the family member is already on a Student visa as a secondary holder (specific conditions apply).

No adding family after the visa is granted

Family members can no longer be added after a Student visa has been granted. Where a family member is eligible to be included, they must apply at the same time and place as the student, and the applications are combined.

Children born in Australia

Transitional rules allow certain children born in Australia after 2 October 2026 to be included in a later onshore application, where the student held or had applied for a Student visa at that time. The explanatory statement also notes that children born in Australia to a Student visa holder are generally taken to hold the same kind of visa as their parent from birth.

What if my family does not fit an exception?

Family members may have other visa options that depend on their own circumstances. The Student visa is no longer a route to bring a partner or child in most cases. Please plan family arrangements before the student applies, not after the visa is granted.

My partner is overseas. Can I add them to my Student visa now?

Not after the visa is granted. At the application stage, only the exempt groups above can include family.

I am a PhD student. Can I include my family?

Yes, doctoral students are an exempt group, subject to the conditions in the instruments.

My family are already on my Student visa. Can I extend with them?

Transitional rules allow existing secondary applicants to continue in some situations. Please check your own case.

Related reading

• Student visa changes from 2 October 2026
• Can you apply for a Student visa inside Australia now?
• Changing course on a Student visa
• Student visa services

Sources: Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 (F2026L01347); Migration (Student Visa Applications to Be Made from outside Australia) Instrument 2026 (F2026L01348); Migration (LIN 20/158: Class of Persons for Student (Temporary) (Class TU) Visa Applications) Amendment Instrument 2026 (F2026L01349), on the Federal Register of Legislation; Department of Home Affairs, Student visa (subclass 500).

Not sure how this affects you? Book a consultation with OVEC: https://calendar.app.google/oEub5pf6SdCmF4Sf7

General information only, not legal or migration advice. Every case turns on its own facts and the rules may change. Book a consultation to check your situation. OVEC, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 1170438.