Bringing Your Partner or Children on a Student Visa After 2 October 2026

Until recently, most international students could bring a partner and children to Australia, either in the same application or later as subsequent entrants. That changed on 2 October 2026. Most new student visa applicants can no longer include family members, and nobody can add family later. This guide explains who can still bring family and what your options are.

Who can still include family members

Primary student	Can include partner or children?
Enrolled in a doctoral degree (PhD)	Yes
Sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or Defence	Yes
Enrolled in a course fully funded by a foreign government	Yes
Holds a passport from a Pacific country	Yes
Holds a passport from an ASEAN country (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand or Vietnam)	Yes
Already has family on their student visa, applying again in Australia	Generally yes, for the same family members
Most other students	No

Family who are already here are treated differently. If your partner or child held a student visa as your family member on 2 October 2026, or had applied before that date and was granted after it, they can generally be included in your next student visa application. A child born in Australia after 2 October 2026 to a student who already held, or had applied for, a student visa before then can also be included. Applying again in Australia still requires you to fit one of the onshore exemptions. See the higher AQF level rule and finishing your course.

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No more subsequent entrants

Family members must now apply at the same time and place as the student and in the same application. That means a partner cannot join you later as a subsequent entrant, even if you are in an exempt group. If you plan to bring family, they must be in your application from the start. Everyone in the application must also be in the same place when it is lodged: all in Australia or all outside Australia.

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Options if your partner cannot be included

• Their own student visa: your partner can apply as a primary student in their own right, meeting the Genuine Student requirement, English and financial capacity on their own. See the Genuine Student requirement.
• A visitor visa: a partner or child may be able to visit for a short stay. A visitor visa does not allow study for more than 3 months or work, and holders cannot apply for a student visa in Australia. See visitor visas.
• A different pathway: if your partner is skilled, an employer sponsored or skilled visa may suit them. See the Skills in Demand visa.
• Choosing an exempt course: for some families, a doctoral program or a fully funded scholarship may be the right fit. Course choice must still make sense under the Genuine Student requirement.

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If you already lodged before 2 October 2026

Applications lodged before 2 October 2026 are decided under the rules at the time, including family members in the application. Keep your details up to date and respond to any requests quickly. Our older guide on adding a partner to a student visa explains the relationship evidence that still applies.

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What you should do now

• Check your passport and course: you may be in an exempt group.
• Include family from the start: they cannot be added later.
• Lodge from the same place: everyone in Australia, or everyone outside.
• Plan for your partner: consider their own student or other visa if they cannot be included.