Priya is 24, from Hyderabad, and holds an offer for a two year master’s degree in Melbourne. Her husband Arjun planned to come with her. Her education agent told her to lodge soon. So she lodged on 30 September 2026 with Arjun included. Her classmate Meera waited for a bank statement and will lodge on 6 October. On the Home Affairs website today, those six days decide whether a husband can come at all.
Short answer: From 2 October 2026, most student visa applicants cannot include a partner or child. Applications lodged before that date, including family members, are assessed under the old rules. Family members can no longer join a student later as subsequent entrants, with no exceptions. Five exemption categories remain, and each one applies only at the moment you lodge.
What changed overnight
The Minister announced the measure at the National Press Club on 17 September 2026. However, he gave no start date. The regulations were registered on 1 October 2026. The Home Affairs student visa page now applies the new rules from 2 October 2026. In other words, the window our note on lodging before the instrument lands described has closed for student visas.
| Situation | Lodged before 2 October 2026 | Lodged from 2 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Partner or child included in a new student visa application | Allowed, assessed under the old rules | Only under an exemption |
| Partner or child included in a further student visa application | Allowed | Only under an exemption |
| Family member added later as a subsequent entrant | Allowed if declared at lodgement | Not possible in any circumstance |
| Family already holding a student visa as dependants | Unchanged | Unchanged while that visa lasts |
| Family on a 485 graduate visa | Allowed | Still allowed on the Home Affairs 485 pages as at 2 October 2026 |
Priya’s application sits in the first column. Therefore, Arjun’s place in it is assessed on the rules of 30 September. Meera sits in the second column. Consequently, she needs an exemption or she travels alone.
The five exemptions, in the order to check them
Home Affairs lists five categories that still allow family at lodgement. Check them in this order, because the first two are the simplest to prove.
You must be applying to study a Doctoral Degree. A Master’s by Research does not qualify, even though it is a research degree. You can include family whether you lodge inside or outside Australia. However, family applying in Australia must hold an eligible visa or a student visa.
You must be sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or the Department of Defence. The same inside and outside rule as the PhD exemption applies. So a sponsored scholar can lodge with family from either location.
You must receive a foreign government scholarship that fully funds your studies. Outside Australia, you can include family at lodgement. Inside Australia, you can include them only in three cases. You need up to 12 more months to finish your main course. Or you are progressing to a higher AQF level. Or your provider has defaulted.
Nationals of 12 Pacific countries and 11 ASEAN countries keep the right. Outside Australia, family can be included at lodgement. Inside Australia, the same three limits as the scholarship exemption apply.
If your family already hold your student visa as dependants, you can keep them in limited cases. Needing up to 12 more months, or a provider default, works inside or outside Australia. Progressing to a higher AQF level works only inside Australia. In addition, you must have held or applied for a student visa before 2 October 2026.
Priya’s course is a master’s by coursework, and she is not from an ASEAN or Pacific country. Lodged on 6 October, no exemption would fit her. Meera is in exactly that position.
The door that has no exemption
The subsequent entrant rule is the sharpest change. Previously, a student could lodge alone, settle in, and have a declared partner apply to join later. From 2 October 2026, Home Affairs states that family members cannot apply as subsequent entrants in any circumstance. The department’s factsheet repeats it: there are no exemptions to this rule.
So a PhD student who lodges alone cannot add a partner next year. The family must be in the application on lodgement day, in the same location as the student. Two newborn rules remain. A child born in Australia automatically holds the parent’s visa. By contrast, a child born overseas during processing can be added before decision, but only under an exemption.
What an invalid family application costs you
Home Affairs now warns that it will not accept a family member’s application without an exemption. Moreover, an invalid outcome could affect that person’s visa status in Australia. If their current visa has expired, they may not be able to apply for a further visa. Invalid decisions cannot be merits reviewed at the Administrative Review Tribunal. Therefore, a hopeful family application is not a harmless test. The 500 visa page sets out what a valid application needs.
If you qualify, show the money
An exemption gets a family member into the application. However, the financial evidence then rises. The following figures sit on the Home Affairs student visa page as at 2 October 2026.
Course fees for the first 12 months sit on top of that total. Alternatively, you can rely on a parent’s or partner’s income. Without family, that income must be at least AUD87,856. With family, it rises to AUD102,500. Our guide to the genuine student requirement explains what else the case officer reads.
The 485 graduate visa, today
The Minister said the family change covers graduate visas too. However, as at 2 October 2026, the Home Affairs 485 pages still allow family members and later subsequent entrants. The registered regulations are titled student visa reform, and we have not seen a 485 instrument. Consequently, a graduate who plans to include a partner has a reason to lodge a complete 485 application now. The 485 visa page lists the current streams and criteria.
Four positions, four moves
- Lodged before 2 October with familyNothing changes. Keep the application complete and answer any request on time.
- Lodging now with no exemptionLodge alone. Then look at a partner visa if your partner is Australian, or at employer sponsorship after you graduate.
- Lodging now with an exemptionInclude every family member on lodgement day, from the same location. Nobody can be added later.
- Family already on your student visaKeep them on your next application only in the limited cases above. Check the AQF level of your next course before you enrol.
Where a partner can still come from
If one partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident, the partner visa stays open at $11,710 for the main applicant. Nothing announced touches it. Similarly, the 482 Skills in Demand visa still includes family. Its charge is $4,015, plus $4,015 for an adult family member and $1,005 for a child. So a graduate who finds a sponsor can reunite a family that a student visa now cannot.
Before you lodge, confirm these
Finally, the same regulations also restrict who can lodge a student visa inside Australia at all. Check both questions before you enrol, because a course paid for on the wrong assumption is expensive.
Frequently asked questions
I lodged on 30 September with my husband included. Is he still in?
Yes. Home Affairs states that applications lodged before 2 October 2026 are assessed under the rules in place that day. That includes applications with family members. Keep the application complete and respond to any request promptly.
I qualify for the PhD exemption. Can my partner join me later?
No. Subsequent entrant applications are no longer possible in any circumstance. Your partner must be in your application on lodgement day, in the same location as you.
My baby was born in Melbourne while I hold a student visa. What visa does she hold?
A child born in Australia automatically holds the same visa as the parent. For your next student visa, you can include her only under an exemption to include family in Australia.
Can I still include my partner in a 485 application?
As at 2 October 2026, the Home Affairs 485 pages still allow family members and subsequent entrants. The Minister has said graduate visas will change, but no 485 instrument has been published. Lodge a complete application sooner rather than later if family is part of your plan.
What happens if I include my partner without an exemption?
Home Affairs says it will not accept the family member’s application. It warns that an invalid outcome can affect their visa status. Invalid decisions cannot be reviewed at the Tribunal. Get advice before you lodge.
Family member rules, exemptions and funds figures verified on the Home Affairs Student visa (subclass 500) page and its changes factsheet on 2 October 2026. The Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 were registered on 1 October 2026. 485 position checked on the Home Affairs 485 stream pages on 2 October 2026. Announcement from the Minister’s National Press Club speech of 17 September 2026. Partner and 482 charges current from 1 July 2026.
General information as at 2 October 2026. Priya, Arjun and Meera are fictional examples. Not legal advice.