Adding dependant’s to your student visa – Student (Subclass 500) Visa

Here at Ethos Migration we have been receiving a large range of communication regarding the new Student Visa Framework (SVF) that was introduced as of 1st July 2016.

The most significant change was the amalgamation of the different student visas into the one student visa now known as the Student (subclass 500) Visa and the Student Guardian visa (subclass 590).

The most frequent question we have been receiving is the regulations surrounding ‘adding a dependant’ to a student visa.

If you currently hold a Student Visa that was issued to you prior to the 1st July 2016, or you have been issued with a new Student (subclass 500) visa the same criteria/regulations apply to adding a family member.

Regulation 500.312 of the Migration Regulations 1994 states that:

‘ The applicant is a member of the family unit of a person who holds a student visa, having satisfied the primary criteria for that visa and either:

(a) the applicant became a member of the family unit of the primary person before the grant of the student visa to the primary person and was included in:

(i) the primary person’s application under subregulation 2.07AF(3); or

(ii) information provided in relation to the primary persons application under subregulation 2.07AF(4); or

(b) the applicant became a member of the family unit of the primary person:

(i) after the grant of the student visa to the primary person; and

(ii) before the application was made.

In short, you must meet one of the below criteria:

1.  You must have declared your dependant in your original visa application prior to the visa being granted

or

2.  The dependant must of became a member of your family unit after   the grant of your student visa and before  their application was made.

If you would like more information on the new Student Visa Framework that was introduced by the Department of Immigration & Border Protection please contact Ethos Migration today.