Dhiraj Kandel
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Eligible spouses, de facto partners and dependent children can be included in an Australian Student visa (Subclass 500) application, or they may apply later to join the student as subsequent entrants when the relevant requirements are met. For Nepali students who are married or have children, this means studying in Australia does not always require leaving your immediate family behind.
The important part is understanding that an Australia student visa dependent is not a separate standalone visa category. Your family member applies within the Student visa framework as a secondary applicant, and the requirements can differ depending on who is applying, when they apply, and the course you will study in Australia. These differences can also affect financial requirements, health cover and your spouse’s work conditions.
This guide explains who you can include, whether your family should apply together or later, what documents and funds you may need, how OSHC works, what work rights your spouse may have, and what to consider when taking dependent children to Australia.
Only certain family members can be included as secondary applicants on a Student visa (Subclass 500). In most cases, this means your spouse, eligible de facto partner or dependent child.
| Family Member | Can They Be Included? | What You Need to Know |
| Spouse | Yes | Your husband or wife can be included if the marriage is legally recognised. |
| De facto partner | Yes | An unmarried partner can qualify if the relationship meets Australia’s de facto partner requirements. |
| Dependent child | Yes | Your or your partner’s child can be included if they are unmarried and under 18 when the visa is decided. |
| Child aged 18 or older | No, as a dependant | They will normally need to qualify for another appropriate visa. |
| Parents or other relatives | No | Parents, siblings, grandparents and other relatives cannot be added as Student visa dependants. |
The key point is that being financially dependent on you does not automatically make someone an eligible dependant. Australian Student visa rules use a specific family-member definition, so check that your spouse, partner or child meets it before preparing the application.
You can include your spouse or dependent child in your Student visa application from the beginning, or they can apply later as a subsequent entrant. The better option depends on when your family plans to travel, how you are arranging finances and whether you want to settle in Australia first.
| Factor | Applying Together | Applying Later |
| Timing | Your family applies with you from the beginning. | Your family applies separately after you have lodged or received your Student visa. |
| Application | Your spouse or child is included as a secondary applicant. | They lodge a separate subsequent-entrant application through ImmiAccount. |
| Family declaration | Family members are declared in the original application. | An existing spouse or child should already have been declared in your original application. |
| Finances and OSHC | Family expenses and suitable health cover are planned together. | Finances and OSHC need to be prepared for the family member joining later. |
| Best suited for | Families planning to move to Australia together. | Students who prefer to travel first and have their family join later. |
The most important rule is to declare your existing family members even if they are not travelling with you initially. Applying later does not mean leaving a spouse or child out of the original application details. Neither option is automatically better for visa approval, so choose the one that fits your family’s actual plans.
Australia student dependent visa requirements mainly involve proving your family relationship, providing details of the primary student, and meeting the applicable health, character and Genuine Student Dependent requirements. The exact documents can vary, so always check the current Home Affairs Document Checklist Tool and your ImmiAccount checklist before lodging.
Your documents should clearly establish who the dependant is and their relationship to the primary student. Depending on your situation, you may need:
Documents issued only in Nepali must be translated into English according to Home Affairs requirements. Not every document automatically needs notarisation, so follow the instructions provided for your application.
The dependant application also needs information connecting it to the primary student and their studies in Australia. This can include:
The Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) confirms the student’s enrolment in the registered course and is an important part of the Student visa process.
Secondary applicants must meet any health and character requirements that apply to their application. Home Affairs may request medical examinations, police certificates or other supporting evidence depending on the applicant’s circumstances.
They must also satisfy the Genuine Student Dependent requirement, which considers whether they genuinely intend to stay in Australia as part of the student’s family unit and follow their visa conditions.
Before lodging, make sure your identity, relationship and student documents are complete and consistent. Your ImmiAccount checklist will show what additional evidence is required for your particular application.
For an Australia Student visa with dependants, your financial capacity may need to cover living costs, travel, tuition and school costs for any school-age children. These are visa financial-capacity figures, not estimates of what your family will actually spend in Australia.
As of September 2026, the main amounts are:
| Expense | Student | Partner | Dependent Child |
| 12-month living costs | AUD 29,710 | AUD 10,394 | AUD 4,449 |
| Travel from Nepal | AUD 2,000 | AUD 2,000 | AUD 2,000 |
| Tuition | Up to 12 months of applicable tuition, minus fees already paid | N/A | N/A |
| School costs | N/A | N/A | AUD 13,502 per school-age child, where applicable |
A student travelling with a spouse would need AUD 40,104 for 12 months of living costs before adding the applicable tuition and travel amounts. If a school-age child is also included, the child’s living-cost and school-cost amounts must be added as well.
An alternative annual-income option may be available in some cases. The current threshold is AUD 87,856 where there is no secondary applicant and AUD 102,500 where a secondary applicant is included.
The money shown in your application must also be genuinely available for your study and family expenses. If you are preparing financial documents in Nepal, understanding the difference between a bank statement and bank balance certificate can help you organise the evidence more clearly.
These figures are minimum amounts used for visa assessment. Your actual rent, food, transport, childcare and other household expenses can be higher depending on where you live in Australia.
A student and any accompanying spouse or dependent children need appropriate Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the required period of their stay in Australia. If you are travelling alone, single cover may be suitable, while couples and families need a policy that covers the accompanying family members.
If your spouse or child joins you later as a subsequent entrant, the OSHC arrangement may need to be updated or replaced so they are covered for the required period. The policy dates should also match the visa and study requirements, so it is worth checking the cover before the dependant application is lodged.
OSHC is different from Medicare, and the benefits, exclusions and premiums can vary between insurers. Before choosing a policy, compare what is covered, check the policy dates carefully and make sure the cover meets the OSHC requirements for studying in Australia for you and any accompanying family members.
A Student visa dependant’s work rights depend on the primary student’s course and the conditions attached to their visa. In most cases, family members cannot start working before the primary student’s course begins, unless another visa condition already permits them to work.
| Primary Student’s Course | Primary Student’s Work Rights | Spouse/Family Member’s Work Rights |
| Diploma, Bachelor or other applicable course | Up to 48 hours per fortnight while the course is in session | Up to 48 hours per fortnight |
| Master’s by coursework or Master’s Degree (Extended) | Up to 48 hours per fortnight while the course is in session | May work more than 48 hours per fortnight after the course starts |
| Master’s by research or Doctoral degree | May work more than 48 hours per fortnight after the course starts | May work more than 48 hours per fortnight after the course starts |
For these visa conditions, a fortnight means 14 days starting on a Monday. A primary student who is subject to the 48-hour limit may work more during recognised course breaks, but this relaxation does not automatically apply to a dependant who remains subject to the same limit.
This is also why the working hours allowed on an Australian Student visa should not be assumed to apply in the same way to a spouse or other family member. Before starting work or increasing your hours, check the conditions shown on your own visa through VEVO.
An adult spouse who holds a Student visa as a secondary applicant may be subject to visa condition 8201, which limits study or training in Australia to a maximum of three months. The exact condition should always be checked in the visa grant letter or VEVO.
This means a spouse can undertake short-term study, but the dependant arrangement is not intended to give them the same study rights as the primary student.
If your spouse wants to enrol in a longer course, such as a diploma, Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, they should first check whether they need to apply for a Student visa as a primary applicant or another suitable visa before enrolling.
A dependent child can be included on a Student visa while they are unmarried and under 18. If the child turns 18 before the visa is decided, they can no longer be granted the visa as your dependent child and would need an appropriate visa in their own right.
If your child is travelling with you, plan for:
These arrangements are separate from the child’s visa eligibility, so it is worth checking schooling, health cover and parental-consent requirements before the family application is lodged.
A dependant applying from Nepal uses the Student visa (Subclass 500) process through ImmiAccount. They can either be included with the primary student from the beginning or apply later as a subsequent entrant.
Processing times can vary from one application to another, so avoid making non-refundable travel plans based only on an estimated timeframe. The same Australia Student Visa rules for Nepali students also apply alongside the dependant-specific requirements covered here.
Small inconsistencies or outdated information can make a dependant application harder to assess and may lead to unnecessary delays.
Common mistakes include:
Before lodging, check that your family details, documents, finances and health cover are consistent across the entire application.
Bringing your spouse or children to Australia requires more planning than simply adding their names to your Student visa application. You need to get the family declaration, relationship documents, financial capacity, OSHC and visa conditions right, whether they apply with you or join later.
If you are unsure which option fits your situation, discuss your Australia study plans with Goreto Education Consultancy before lodging. A counsellor can help you understand the study and dependant requirements and prepare the documents relevant to your family circumstances.
Your wife can apply as a secondary applicant if she meets the spouse requirements. She can apply with you or later as a subsequent entrant.
Your husband can usually work up to 48 hours per fortnight, but may work more if you are studying a Master’s or doctoral degree.
Your spouse can apply later as a subsequent entrant if the relevant requirements are met. An existing spouse should have been declared in your original Student visa application.
A boyfriend or girlfriend cannot be included based on the relationship label alone. They must qualify as a spouse or eligible de facto partner under Australian migration rules.
The current 12-month living-cost amount for a spouse or de facto partner is AUD 10,394. Travel, tuition and other applicable family expenses must also be considered.
A spouse applying only as a secondary applicant does not need to meet the primary student’s English-test requirement.
Dependent children can attend school in Australia. Enrolment requirements and fees vary by state, territory and school.
Every accompanying dependant needs appropriate OSHC, but they do not necessarily need a separate policy. Couple or family cover can include eligible accompanying family members.
Your spouse can be included as a secondary applicant when you lodge your Student visa application, provided they meet the relevant requirements.
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