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Australia tightens family application rules for graduate visas
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Australia’s new rules for the Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa take effect on 13 November. Eligible family members must apply jointly with the graduate at the same time. The changes end the option of making a later family application under this visa after the graduate’s grant. The regulation, registered on 12 November, applies to applications made from commencement.
For many families, eligibility depends on the family member’s visa history with the same primary applicant. The regulation counts a qualifying dependent student visa held now, on 2 October 2026 or within the six months before applying. It also counts a qualifying dependent Subclass 485 visa held now or in that six-month window. Family members may apply from inside or outside Australia, subject to the location and visa-status conditions in the regulation.
The rules also provide other qualifying routes, including for a child born after the graduate’s most recent student or Subclass 485 visa was granted. Further routes cover certain passport holders, graduates who completed a doctorate linked to their most recent student visa and applicants whose relevant studies were fully funded by a foreign government. These routes concern eligibility and the joint application requirement still applies.
Based on content from the Federal Register of Legislation at 12 November 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government legislation please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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