Australia Stops Most Student Visa Applicants Bringing Family From 2 October 2026

What happened

On 2 October 2026 the Australian Government brought in new rules that stop most international students from bringing family members on a Student visa (subclass 500). The change is made by the Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026, registered on 1 October 2026. It started the next day, and Assistant Minister Julian Hill announced it the same day.

Under the new rules, Student visa applicants can no longer include a partner or dependent children in their application unless an exemption applies. Current Student visa holders also can no longer add family members after their visa is granted. Home Affairs’ fact sheet says there are no exemptions to that second rule.

Who is affected

The rules apply to most new Student visa applications lodged from 2 October 2026, including applications for a further Student visa. You may still be able to include family when you apply if you are:

• studying a PhD
• sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) or Defence
• receiving a foreign government scholarship
• an eligible student from a Pacific country or an ASEAN member country.

Families already in Australia will not be separated. If your family is already on your current Student visa and you apply for a new visa in Australia, you may be able to include them again. Where family can be included, everyone must apply at the same time and from the same place as the student.

Applications lodged before 2 October 2026, including ones that included family, are assessed under the rules in place when they were lodged.

What it means for your move

For many people, the study, then graduate visa, then skilled visa route to permanent residence was a family move from day one. That is no longer possible for most students. A partner who wants to come to Australia now needs a visa of their own, such as a visitor or work visa, and must meet its rules separately.

The government also says similar restrictions will apply to Temporary Graduate visas (subclass 485). As of 11 October 2026 no instrument or start date for the 485 change has been published.

What to do now

• Check whether you fall into an exemption before you accept an offer or pay a deposit.
• If you are not exempt, plan for your family to stay at home or apply for their own visa. Do not count on adding them later.
• If your family is already on your Student visa in Australia, get advice before you apply for your next visa so you keep them on it.
• Use a registered migration agent or lawyer for anything unusual, such as a scholarship that may or may not count as foreign government funding.

Our guide to the October 2026 student visa changes and the Student visa 500 guide explain the wider rules.

What happens next

Watch for the Temporary Graduate visa family restriction, which the government says will follow, and check our 485 guide for updates. The regulations are a disallowable instrument, so Parliament can still move to disallow them. We track changes on the Australia hub and the updates page.