Planning to Study in Australia With Your Partner or Children? Read This About the New Dependant Visa Limits

News · 2026-09-25 · 4 min read

Many people choose a country to study in by comparing course costs. Now there is another big question to ask first: can your family come with you? Australia has made a policy change that affects this directly. If you are an Indonesian student, or a student from anywhere else, it is worth understanding the new rules before you decide.

Fewer Students Can Bring Family Members

The government in Canberra is tightening its settings for temporary migration. Dependant visas are one of the areas hit hardest. Under the new rules, most international students will not be able to bring family members with them to Australia.

There are some exceptions, but they are narrow. They cover:

PhD candidates
students from Pacific and ASEAN nations
students sponsored by DFAT or Defence
people who hold foreign government scholarships

Indonesia is an ASEAN member, so keep an eye on how this exception is applied. But please do not build your whole plan around it yet, as explained below.

The Limit Continues After You Arrive

This is the part many people miss. Even if you are in one of the exempt groups, your family members will be blocked from applying later for a Student or Temporary Graduate visa as a secondary applicant once you, the primary applicant, already hold your visa. This applies to onshore and offshore applicants alike. So the restriction is not only at the start. It stays in place later too.

There is some good news for people already studying there. Officials have confirmed grandfathering provisions, so students who are already in the system will not be separated from their families. However, the government has not yet given a start date or the full details of how the change will work. If you are still planning your move, treat the exemptions as narrow and possibly temporary. They are not something you can safely count on.

Why Australia Is Making These Changes

This change is one piece of a larger migration overhaul led by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. The aim is to bring net overseas migration down to targets of 245,000 for 2026/27 and 225,000 the following year. This would reportedly build on a 47% drop from the peaks seen during the pandemic period.

Burke says part of the goal is to deal with "visa hopping". This means moving from one temporary visa category to another. At the same time, he accepts that some movement is normal and expected. For example, a student may move on to a graduate visa and later to permanent residence. That is the system working as it should.

Two Goals That Clash

Migration commentator Abul Rizvi has pointed out a problem that gets little attention. Australia has kept its student intake target at 295,000 for 2027. Yet it is also trying to lower total migration numbers. These two goals pull against each other, and one of them will probably have to give.

The most likely pressure point is visa refusal rates. These have already gone up sharply since late 2025. They seem to be doing much of the work of holding migration numbers down.

Simple Lessons for Your Own Plans

If you and your family are thinking about an Australian study pathway, keep these points in mind:

Family may not be able to join you later. This is true even if you are in an exempt group today, because the secondary-applicant rule closes that route anyway.
Prepare for strict checks when you apply. The intake target and the reduction targets are in tension, and refusal rates are one of the few tools the government can change quickly. Make your application complete and careful.
Pick your course and career direction wisely. Rizvi has suggested an official list of priority qualifications and occupations, published and reviewed every year and matched to the skilled migration invitation list. It would guide students towards the pathways Australia really wants to fill. If this idea is adopted, it could change which courses give a realistic path to a graduate visa and beyond.

Good preparation always helps. Have an English-language CV ready, and take an English test such as IELTS or PTE if your visa or education provider asks for one. Get any Indonesian-language documents translated into English when the visa rules require it.

Our Advice: Stay Flexible

Right now the system is changing. It is stricter on family migration. It is also unclear how it will balance its intake targets with its reduction targets. Students who choose courses linked to real skills shortages are likely to do better than those looking for a quick route from study to residency. If you are planning around an Australian student visa, leave room in your plans. More details are still coming, and more limits are likely.

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