Australia Student Visa Dependants Ban Starts 2 October 2026

New Australia student visa dependants rules took effect on 2 October 2026: most people applying for a Student visa (subclass 500) can no longer include a partner or dependent children in their application. The Department of Home Affairs confirmed the start date on its website, after Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced the policy on 17 September 2026.

Key facts

• In force from 2 October 2026 under the Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026, registered on 1 October 2026.
• Most Student visa applicants can no longer include a partner or dependent children.
• Current Student visa holders cannot add family members later as subsequent entrants.
• Exemptions include PhD students, DFAT- or Defence-sponsored students, foreign government scholarship holders and eligible Pacific or ASEAN students.
• Applications lodged before 2 October 2026, including those with family members, are assessed under the old rules.

What changed

Until now, many Student visa applicants could list a partner and children as secondary applicants, or add them after the visa was granted. Home Affairs says that has ended for most people.

The department’s factsheet states that Student visa applicants can no longer include family members unless an exemption applies. It also says current Student visa holders can no longer add family members as subsequent entrants after their visa is granted.

Where an exemption does apply, the primary applicant and all family members must be in the same location when the application is lodged. In other words, everyone applies together, either all in Australia or all outside it.

At the National Press Club on 17 September, Minister Burke said families already in Australia would be protected: “we’re not going to be breaking up families onshore.”

Who is affected by the Australia student visa dependants rule

The rule affects most new Student visa applicants who planned to bring a spouse or children. According to the Home Affairs factsheet, these groups can still include family members:

• PhD students
• Students sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) or Defence
• Foreign government scholarship recipients
• Eligible students from Pacific or ASEAN countries
• Students who already have family members on their current Student visa and are reapplying in Australia

Nepal and India are not Pacific or ASEAN countries, so Nepali and Indian students only qualify for an exemption through another category, such as PhD study or a foreign government scholarship.

What it means for Nepali and Indian students

Many Nepali students apply for master’s courses in Australia with a spouse, and some families plan for the partner to work while the student studies. Under the new Australia student visa dependants rule, that plan is no longer available for most coursework students who apply from 2 October 2026.

If you lodged your application before 2 October 2026 and included your family, Home Affairs says it will be decided under the rules that applied when you lodged it.

If you are already in Australia with your partner or children on your visa, the minister has said those families will not be split up. Read the factsheet first, because this exemption is tied to having family on your current visa and reapplying in Australia.

If your partner was planning to join you later as a subsequent entrant, that option has been removed.

What to do now

1. Read the Home Affairs page “Changes to Student visa application rules (subclasses 500 & 590)” and the linked factsheet before paying any fees.
2. Check if you fit an exemption category, for example PhD study or a foreign government scholarship. A coursework master’s degree is not listed as an exemption.
3. If your partner already holds a dependant visa, keep copies of your current grant letters before you apply for any new visa.
4. Ask your education agent or a registered migration agent in writing how your plan fits the new rules. Do not rely on verbal promises.
5. Recalculate your budget if your partner can no longer come and work. Our student visa money calculator can help.
6. Review our Australia student visa checklist for Nepal for the rest of your documents.

What we don’t know yet

• Home Affairs has not published a full list of the eligible Pacific and ASEAN countries on the pages we checked.
• It is not clear from the pages we opened whether any coursework degree other than a PhD (for example, a research master’s) will qualify.
• The minister also said Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa holders would face family limits. We did not find a Home Affairs page confirming how or when that applies to 485 visas.

Frequently asked questions

Do the Australia student visa dependants rules stop my wife coming with me?

For most applications lodged from 2 October 2026, yes. Only applicants in an exemption group, such as PhD students or eligible Pacific or ASEAN students, can include a partner.

I applied in September 2026 with my family. Am I affected?

Home Affairs says applications lodged before the new rules started, including those with family members, will be assessed under the old rules.

My family is already in Australia with me. Do they have to leave?

The minister said families already onshore would not be broken up. Check the factsheet for the exact conditions before you apply for another visa.

Sources

• Changes to Student visa application rules (subclasses 500 & 590) – Department of Home Affairs
• Changes to Student visa application rules factsheet – Department of Home Affairs
• Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 – Federal Register of Legislation
• Speech to the National Press Club, 17 September 2026 – Minister for Home Affairs
• Australian Government migration policy changes – Department of Home Affairs

Last checked: 2 October 2026. This is general information, not immigration advice.