Can I bring my dependent family to Australia while on a student visa?
What are the visa requirements for the family members?
Be an eligible family member: An eligible member is usually the immediate family specifically the spouse, partner or children of the international student
Proof of relationship: You will have to provide with relationship evidences such as marriage certificates, joint bank accounts etc. for your spouse or partner and you will be required to provide birth certificates for your children under 18 and for children over 18 you will have to provide evidence of their dependency
Sufficient financial capacity: You will have to demonstrate that you can support you and your family members who are accompanying you while in Australia.
Education and welfare of dependent children: If your children are schooling ensure adequate educational arrangements are met by enrolling them in a school.
Meet the health requirement: Your family who is accompanying you will have to undergo health assessment and will also require health insurance.
Who can you bring to Australia on a student visa?
Eligible family members typically includes your spouse or de facto partner and your children under 18.
If you have children who are over 18 they won’t usually be an eligible family member unless you can demonstrate that your children are dependent on you more than any other person for their basic needs of food, clothing and shelter, or that they are unable to work to support themselves because they have a disability that totally or partially affects their bodily or mental functions .
You cannot bring your siblings and parents to Australia as they are not classified as eligible family members by the department.
When can you include family members into your student visa application?
You can include your eligible family members while you are applying for your student visa application or you can decide to bring your family after you arrived in Australia. If you are adding your family members in your visa application then they will be referred to as “Secondary Applicants” or “dependents”. And if you are bringing your family after you arrived in Australia then they will be referred to as “Subsequent Entrants”
Its usually recommended to not include your family members in your application at the time of making your student visa application, because having family members in your home country can be a crucial aspect to family ties to your home country. This can support the Genuine Student Test which is a compulsory test to fulfill for your student visa application.
Can family members work in Australia?
Your spouse or partner can work in Australia while you study. However the duration of work that your family member can undertake can be different depending on the qualifications that you are pursuing.
If you are an undergraduate student visa holder your spouse or partner can work up to 48 hours a fortnight. But if you are a pursing a post graduate qualification, then your spouse or partner may get full time work rights.
What are the visa conditions for family members?
There are specific conditions attached to the visa grant that you and your family should comply. Some of them are
8501 Condition: Maintaining adequate health insurance
8517 Condition: Ensuring your schooling children have appropriate educational arrangements
8533 Condition: Provide their residential address in Australia once they’ve arrived in Australia and also notify the department of any changes
What are the student visa processing times?
If your family members apply simultaneously with you as the primary applicant, then your applications will be processed as a single visa package, as the department assess the entire family unit during the process.
If your family is applying as subsequent entrants where you are already in Australia and you are applying for your family’s visa, then the processing times will be different. Subsequent entrant applications may take a few extra weeks to process.
Overall the visa processing time ranges from 4-6 months
What are the visa costs for the family members?
The visa application fee varies for each family member based on their circumstances.
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Primary applicant: AUD 1,600
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Spouse/ De facto partner: AUD 1,190
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Dependent child under 18 years: AUD 390
*The above values are subject to changes at the discretion of the Department of Home Affairs
How much Finances should you demonstrate to bring your family to Australia?
If you want to bring your family to Australia you will have to show that you have the funds to support them here. So you have to demonstrate adequate funds. The minimum cash funds required to meet the financial capacity requirement are as follows:
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Primary applicant: AUD 29,710
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Spouse/ De facto partner: AUD 10,394
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Dependent child: AUD 4,449
*The above values are subject to changes at the discretion of the Department of Home Affairs
Keith James
Keith is a graduate of Monash Law School. He moved to Melbourne, Australia in 2014 and has a passion for working with migrants, who aspire to call Australia their dream home. Being a migrant himself, he has a tremendous capacity to empathise with the problems his clients face and focuses on providing them with outcomes that leads to Permanent Residency in the shortest possible time.
Keith practices in all aspects of Migration law, with a particular focus on Skilled Migration and Family visas. He stays abreast on the latest updates in state nomination criteria and has a wide range of options available to assist his clients navigate their migration aspirations.
- LLB (Monash University, Australia)
- Member (Law Institute of Victoria)
- Member (Migration Institute of Australia)
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