Student Visa Dependants Australia 2026: Family Rules From 2 October

On 17 September 2026 the Government announced that international students would generally no longer be able to bring family members to Australia. For the Student visa, that change is now law. The Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 and two legislative instruments, LIN 26/102 and LIN 26/087, commenced on 2 October 2026.

The general rule

For Student visa applications made on or after 2 October 2026, a partner or dependent child can be included only if an exemption applies. Family members can no longer apply later as subsequent entrants after the student's visa is granted, apart from a child born in Australia.

Who is exempt

Family members may still be included where:

• the student is a Defence student or a Foreign Affairs student;
• the student holds a passport from a Pacific-regional country or one of the listed ASEAN countries;
• the student is a doctoral (PhD) student;
• the student's course is fully funded by a foreign government;
• the student is affected by provider default, or is seeking to complete their current studies, in the circumstances set out in LIN 26/087;
• the family member is in Australia and already held a Student visa as a dependant of the same student on 2 October 2026, or applied before that date and was granted after it;
• the family member is a child born in Australia on or after 2 October 2026 to a student who held, or had applied for, a Student visa on that date.

The Pacific and ASEAN lists are set by the Migration Regulations. Check your passport country with us before relying on this exemption.

What happens to existing dependants

If your partner or child already holds a Student visa as your dependant, that visa is not cancelled or changed. If they were in Australia and held that visa on 2 October 2026, they can be included when you apply for your next Student visa. Applications lodged before 2 October 2026 continue under the earlier rules.

What about graduate visas?

The 17 September announcement also referred to family members on graduate visas. The instruments that commenced on 2 October 2026 change the Student visa rules. As at 2 October 2026 we have not located an instrument changing the family rules for the Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa, and we will update this article if that changes.

Where Migration Star can help

Migration Star is a Brisbane-based registered migration practice, and our principal agent Rohit Sharma holds MARN 1797395. Which rules apply to you depends on the visa you hold, where you are, your course and your family circumstances, and we confirm this before anything is lodged. No agent can promise a visa outcome or a processing time.

Free written eligibility assessment: https://www.migrationstar.com.au/eligibility-assessment

Book a consultation (30 minutes AUD 165 or 1 hour AUD 330, incl GST, credited against our fees): https://www.migrationstar.com.au/book-a-consultation

General information current as at 2 October 2026. It is not advice for your circumstances. Migration Star, Rohit Sharma, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 1797395.

Sources

• Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 (F2026L01347)
• LIN 26/102, Student visa applications to be made from outside Australia (F2026L01348)
• LIN 26/087, classes of persons for Student visa applications (F2026L01349)
• Department of Home Affairs factsheet: Changes to Student visa application rules