Last updated: 13 November 2026
From 13 November 2026, most 485 visa applicants can no longer include new family members in their application. Under the Migration Amendment (Temporary Graduate Visa Reform) Regulations 2026, a partner or child can join a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) application in two cases:
- they already came to Australia as the graduate’s dependant on a Student visa or a 485 visa; or
- the graduate belongs to an exempt group.
Family members can also no longer be added after the visa is granted.
Key points at a glance
- Start date: applies to 485 applications made on or after 13 November 2026.
- Families already here: partners and children who came with you on your Student visa or 485 visa can still be included.
- Exempt groups: holders of a Pacific, Timor-Leste or ASEAN passport, PhD graduates and foreign government scholarship holders.
- No adding later: family members must apply together with you, in one application.
- Strict consequence: including an ineligible family member makes the application invalid, with no merits review.
This guide explains who can still include family in a 485 visa, who is exempt, what happens to families already in Australia, and what to do if you are about to apply.
485 Visa Family Members: What Changed on 13 November 2026
The Government announced on 17 September 2026 that the 485 visa would no longer be a pathway for family migration. The regulations making this law were made on 12 November 2026. They apply to 485 visa applications made on or after 13 November 2026. They follow the Student visa reforms of 2 October 2026, which introduced similar limits for Student visa applicants.
1
Limits on who can be included
A partner or child can be a secondary applicant only in the specific situations explained below.
2
No more “adding” family later
Secondary applicants must apply at the same time as the main applicant. Subsequent entrant applications have been removed.
3
A visa status rule for family members in Australia
They must hold a substantive visa, or a Bridging A or B visa granted on the basis of a valid application. There is a narrow exception for some Student visa cancellations set aside by the ART.
4
Protection for minors
Main applicants under 18 must now meet the custody and best-interests-of-the-child criteria (PIC 4017 and 4018).
Important: these are validity requirements. If a family member is included without meeting them, the application is not valid: the Department will not consider it, no visa is granted and there is no right to merits review at the ART.
Who Can Still Include Family Members in a 485 Visa?
A partner or dependent child can be included only if at least one of these situations applies.
1. Your family is already in Australia on your Student visa or 485 visa
Your family member can be included if they hold, or recently held, a visa as your secondary applicant:
- Student visa: they hold a Student visa as your dependant, held one on 2 October 2026, or held one at any time in the 6 months before the 485 application is made;
- 485 visa: they hold a 485 visa as your dependant, or held one at any time in the 6 months before the new application is made.
The earlier visa must have been granted with you as the main applicant. A partner who came on a separate visa, or as someone else’s dependant, does not qualify under this rule.
2. Your child was born after your last visa was granted
A child born after your most recent Student visa or 485 visa was granted can be included in the new application, even if they could not be added to the earlier visa.
A child born in Australia to a 485 visa holder generally receives the same visa as the parent at birth (section 78 of the Migration Act). That rule is not changed.
3. You are in an exempt group
Family members of these main applicants can be included even if they were not on your earlier visa:
Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu
Nationals of the ASEAN member countries specified in the Migration Regulations, the same countries exempt under the Student visa reforms
Your most recent Student visa was granted for a doctoral degree you have completed
Every course on your most recent Student visa was fully funded by a foreign government
Who Can No Longer Be Included?
Unless you are in an exempt group, these family members can no longer join your 485 visa:
- a partner you met during your studies who was not your dependant on your Student visa;
- a partner or child who stayed overseas and was never included in your Student visa;
- a family member whose dependant visa ended more than 6 months before you apply (unless they held it on 2 October 2026);
- any family member you want to add after your 485 visa is granted.
These family members need their own visa, for example:
- a Visitor visa;
- their own Student visa;
- an employer-sponsored visa;
- a partner visa, if you or they become eligible.
Each of these visas has its own requirements.
Can Family Members Be Outside Australia When I Apply?
Yes. The main applicant must be in Australia when the 485 application is made. Secondary applicants can be in or outside Australia, but they must be included in the same, combined application and meet one of the situations above.
What is no longer possible is lodging the 485 visa first and adding a family member offshore later.
Examples
✅ Example 1: Family already in Australia
Priya finished her Master’s degree in Melbourne. Her husband and daughter have been in Australia as dependants on her Student visa. If she applies for a 485 visa while they still hold those visas (or within 6 months after they end) and includes them in her application, they can be granted the 485 visa with her.
❌ Example 2: A new partner
Lucas, an Italian citizen, completed his Bachelor’s degree in Perth. During his studies he met his partner, who holds a Working Holiday visa. She was never his dependant on his Student visa. Under the new rules he cannot include her in his 485 application. She needs her own visa to stay in Australia.
✅ Example 3: An exempt graduate
Ana, a Fijian citizen, studied alone in Brisbane while her husband stayed in Fiji. Because she holds a Pacific passport, she can include her husband in her 485 application, even though he was never on her Student visa. He can be in Fiji when they apply, but he must be included in her application from the start.
What Should You Do Before Applying for a 485 Visa?
☐ Apply as a family, at the same time. If your partner or children are eligible, include them from the start. You will not be able to add them later.
☐ Check your family members’ visas and dates. In Australia, they need a substantive visa or a Bridging A or B visa when you apply. Do not let the 6-month window after their dependant visa ended pass.
☐ Check whether you are exempt. Your passport, a completed PhD or a foreign government scholarship can change the outcome.
☐ Do not include an ineligible family member. An invalid application is not considered, and the visa application charge may be lost.
☐ Plan other visas early. If a family member cannot be included, look at their own visa options before your current visas expire.
For the 485 visa streams, the Australian Study Requirement and the age limits, see our Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) page.
Other Changes in the Same Regulations
- Subsequent entrant fees removed: the charges for family members applying separately have been repealed, because those applications can no longer be made.
- Replacement stream: the criteria for the 485 Replacement stream, closed to new applicants since 2024, have been removed.
- Applicants under 18: main applicants under 18 must meet public interest criteria 4017 and 4018.
Frequently Asked Questions About 485 Visa Family Members
Can I include my partner in my 485 visa application?
Yes, but only in specific cases. You can include them if they are, or recently were, your dependant on your Student visa or 485 visa. You can also include them if you are in an exempt group: Pacific, Timor-Leste or ASEAN passport, a completed PhD, or a foreign government scholarship.
Can I add my family to my 485 visa after it is granted?
No. For applications made from 13 November 2026, family members must apply at the same time as the main applicant. Subsequent entrant applications are no longer possible.
My family held Student visas as my dependants on 2 October 2026. Can they come onto my 485 visa?
Yes. A family member who held a Student visa as your dependant on 2 October 2026, or at any time in the 6 months before you apply, can be included in your 485 application.
Does the change affect 485 applications lodged before 13 November 2026?
No. The new rules apply to applications made on or after 13 November 2026.
What happens to a baby born in Australia while I hold a 485 visa?
A child born in Australia generally receives the same visa as the parent at birth. A child born after your last visa was granted can also be included in your next 485 application.
Can my family members be overseas when I apply?
Yes, if they are eligible. Secondary applicants can be in or outside Australia, but they must be part of your combined application. You, as the main applicant, must be in Australia.
Need help with your 485 visa?
The new rules leave little room for error. Including the wrong family member, or missing the 6-month window, can make an application invalid. Giro Migration checks who in your family is eligible, plans the timing of your application and explores visa options for family members who cannot be included.
This article is general information about Australian migration law as at the date above. It is not legal advice. Check your own situation with a Registered Migration Agent before you apply.