From 13 November 2026, Australia closes the family route through the post-study 485 visa

From 13 November 2026, most applicants for the post-study 485 visa will no longer be allowed to include a spouse or child. Exceptions exist for citizens of several countries in the region, for doctoral graduates, for those whose studies were fully funded by a foreign government, and for cases where a child is born while the applicant already holds a 485 visa. This effectively closes the immigration path through a student visa for people with families.

What is changing

Previously, the ban only meant that spouses and children could not accompany a student on the main student visa, except for doctoral cases. Now the same logic extends to the post-study 485 visa: most applicants will not be able to include dependants on it.

According to the outlet, this is one of the most significant changes to Australian immigration in years. The post-study visa was one of the last paths for those wishing to stay in the country after studying, and it often served as a stepping stone to visas 482, 186, 494, 190, 491 and 189.

Who can include dependants

Including a dependent family member in a 485 application is possible in several cases:

• if the applicant is a citizen of one of the regional countries listed: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam;
• if the applicant completed a doctorate — similar to the student visa rule, a partner and child can then be included;
• if the studies were fully funded by a foreign government;
• if a child was born while the applicant already held a 485 visa.

A separate complicated question concerns the period during which the person was with the main applicant. On one reading, this applies to cases where, as of 2 October 2026 or within 6 months before applying for the 485, the applicant and their spouse or child were already together and held a student visa. Lawyers and migration agents interpret this wording differently, so the exact interpretation should be clarified.

What this means for applicants

Where adults with families previously came on the post-study visa, the main flow, in the author’s view, will now shift toward young people. Parents who have the means can send their children to study, and there will be no need to bring a partner along: after settling down, one can be found locally or brought over from home later.

Bottom line: the student visa and the 485 visa remain, but without family. This will noticeably lower the average age of applicants.