Can international students bring the family?
Australia is one of the most popular education destinations in the world. Every year thousands of overseas students aspire and try to migrate to Australia to get enrolled in its colleges and universities. If you are one of them and wondering if your family can also be included in your visa application, this blog is for you.
To make it easy for you we have broken the main topic into several subtopics, which will answer your query about can international students bring their families too to Australia. And what are the visa options and charges involved in the process?
Table of Contents
Available visa options for families
There are 3 subclasses of student visas available for overseas students- subclasses 500, 590, and 407. The Australian government allows most international students to bring in their immediate family members to the country under the Student Visa Subclass 500. The immediate family members are called dependents. These dependents may include the spouse and the spouse’s dependent child.
Another visa option for a family member, as guardian, to visit Australia is through subclass 590. This visa option allows the family members to come to Australia to assist a student visa holder under 18 years of age or older due to unique circumstances. The guardian can look after and sponsor a student visa holder under the age of 18 or above it under special circumstances.
Working rights of a family member
The work right of a family member accompanying an international student is the same as the student. In other words, the family member or the dependent can work up to 20 hours per week. Unlike international students, they cannot exceed the limit of 20 hours per week, not even during the holidays.
However, the family member of a student obtaining a graduate degree may work for unlimited hours. That being said, the family member of the student is not permitted to work until after the student has started his or her course.
Guidance of cost of living
Under the Student Visa, you will be having a separate cost of living for yourself while you stay, and bringing in your family member may add to that cost. So, you must always have a clear knowledge of the average living cost you would need to incur actually.
As per the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA) a single international student would need a minimum of AUD 20,000 per year for living costs. These costs are non-inclusive of the tuition and course fees, which depend on the course the student has enrolled in. That being said, the cost of living varies depending on the city, lifestyle, type of accommodation, and so on.
Nonetheless, if a family member gets added, like your spouse, you can expect your cost of living to get expensive by at least AUD 7,362. On the other hand, if you bring in a child, you can add AUD 3,152 to your cost of living expenses.
Other expenses you need to consider
Other than the cost of living, if you bring dependents, you may also have to incur expenses related to traveling, childcare, and schooling. All these expenses are, however, dynamic and vary depending on the city you are living in, and other factors.
Traveling with children:
If you are traveling with dependent children, on your student visa, you will have to pay fees for them to go to any Australian school.
To give you a short glimpse, here we have presented a sample of approximate state school fees-
| State | Fee Range |
| Victoria | A$9,600 – A$14,200 |
| New South Wales | A$5,600 – A$6,400 |
| Queensland | A$11,100 – A$14,000 |
| South Australia | A$6,000 – A$7,200 |
Having children under 5 years of age:
If you have a dependent child (ren) under the age of 5 and have no one to take care of him/her, you would have to make arrangements for child-care prior to arriving in Australia. The childcare expenses in Australia may range between $45 and $188 per day, depending on the type of service(s) you are opting for.
Health coverage
If you are bringing your family members on your visa application, you have to have enough funds to cover the Overseas Student Health Cover for all the dependent members.
Contact a student visa expert
So, there are options you can opt to include your family member(s) in your Student Visa application. However, there can be a lot of extra expenses involved in the process and during your stay in Australia. If you want to get a clearer picture of the whole thing, you can reach out to Australia Visa Lawyer today!
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