Information current as at 13 November 2026. Checked against the Department of Home Affairs and the Federal Register of Legislation on the day the new rules started.
If you are about to apply for a Temporary Graduate visa and want your partner or children on it, the rules changed today. From 13 November 2026, 485 visa family members can only be included if they were already your dependants on your Student visa (or previous 485), or if you fall into a small exempt group. Family members can no longer join you later as subsequent entrants, and everyone must lodge together in one combined application.
This guide explains exactly who can still be included, who is now locked out, what the change means for Indian and Malaysian graduates, and the mistakes that will get a family member's application declared invalid.
485 visa family members: key facts at a glance
- Start date: 13 November 2026, for 485 applications lodged on or after that date.
- Applied before 13 November 2026? Your application is assessed under the old rules.
- Primary applicant criteria: unchanged. Age, English, study requirement and stream rules stay the same.
- Who can be included: family members who held a Student visa as your dependant (now, on 2 October 2026, or in the last six months), or a 485 as your dependant (now or in the last six months).
- Exempt groups: Pacific or ASEAN nationals, PhD graduates, and graduates whose course was fully funded by a foreign government can include any eligible family members.
- Newborns: a child born after your most recent Student or 485 visa was granted can be included.
- Subsequent entrants: no longer possible for anyone. You cannot add family after you lodge or after grant.
- Location: you must be in Australia when you apply. Family members can be in or outside Australia.
- Law: Migration Amendment (Temporary Graduate Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 (F2026L01500), made 12 November 2026.
What changed on 13 November 2026
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Before today, a 485 applicant could include a partner or child in the main application, or lodge the 485 first and have family apply later as subsequent entrants. Many graduates used the second route: they secured their own 485, married or brought a spouse over, then lodged a subsequent entrant application.
The Migration Amendment (Temporary Graduate Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 closed that route. Under the new rules, a secondary applicant's application must be made "at the same time as, and combined with" the primary application. Home Affairs states it plainly on its 485 family member rules page: family members cannot apply later as subsequent entrants, "even if you meet the eligibility criteria to include them in your application."
The change follows the Student visa reforms that started on 2 October 2026, which also changed whether family members can be included in Student visa applications made in Australia. We covered those in our guide to the October 2026 student visa changes. Together, the two sets of rules mean the family you bring on your Student visa is, for most graduates, the family you can carry onto your 485.
Who can still be included in a 485 application
There are three routes. Each family member only needs to fit one.
Route 1: they were already your dependant
This is the route most graduates will rely on. For a first 485, the family member must meet at least one of these:
- they currently hold a Student visa as your dependant
- they held a Student visa as your dependant on 2 October 2026
- they held a Student visa as your dependant within the last six months
For a second 485 (for example, the second Post-Higher Education Work stream), the family member must currently hold a 485 as your dependant, or have held one within the last six months.
Under this route you can only include the same family members who were on your previous visa. A partner you married after your Student visa was granted, who was never on that visa, does not qualify through Route 1.
Route 2: you are in an exempt group
You can include any eligible family members, including people who were never your dependants before, if one of these applies to you:
- you are a Pacific or ASEAN national
- you completed a PhD while holding a Student visa
- you completed a course fully funded by a foreign government while holding a Student visa
The regulations frame the nationality exemption by passport: the primary applicant must hold a passport from a Pacific-regional country or a country specified in subitem 1222(5A) of Schedule 1 to the Migration Regulations. If you hold dual nationality, check which passport you are applying on before you lodge.
Route 3: a newborn child
A child born outside Australia after your most recent Student visa or 485 was granted can be included in your first or second 485 application. You still need to apply together. Home Affairs is clear that you cannot add a newborn born outside Australia to your 485 after it is granted.
A child born in Australia while you hold a 485 automatically holds a 485 as your dependant. No separate application is needed, but you must notify the Department of the birth.
Who is now locked out
The groups most affected are graduates who are not from a Pacific or ASEAN country and who studied without dependants. Typical situations that no longer work:
- Married after the Student visa grant. A graduate who married during or after their studies, with the spouse still overseas and never on the Student visa, cannot include that spouse in the 485 unless an exemption applies.
- Family who dropped off more than six months ago. If your partner's dependant Student visa ended more than six months before you lodge, and they did not hold it on 2 October 2026, Route 1 is closed.
- "Lodge now, add later" plans. Lodging your own 485 first and planning to bring family as subsequent entrants is no longer possible, even for people who meet the criteria.
- Children born before your latest visa grant who were never included. The newborn route only covers children born after your most recent Student or 485 grant.
How to apply with family under the new rules
- Confirm your own 485 eligibility first. Your stream, age, English, Australian study requirement and timing are unchanged. Our 485 visa requirements 2026 guide covers each criterion.
- Map each family member to a route. For every partner or child, write down which route they fit and the evidence: their current or previous visa grant notice, the dates it was held, or your PhD completion letter, scholarship funding letter, or the child's birth certificate.
- Check the dates against 2 October 2026 and the six-month window. Use VEVO or the grant letters to confirm exactly when each dependant visa started and ended. A few days can decide eligibility.
- Make sure you are in Australia on the day you lodge. Family members can be onshore or offshore, but the primary applicant must be in Australia.
- Lodge one combined application. Add every eligible family member to the same ImmiAccount application before you submit. There is no second chance after lodgement.
- Pay the right charges. Each additional applicant attracts its own charge on top of the primary charge. Use the Home Affairs visa pricing table or the Visa Pricing Estimator on the day you lodge, as charges can change. Home Affairs notes lower charges may apply to eligible citizens of Pacific Island countries, Timor-Leste or ASEAN member countries for some visas.
- Keep an eye on bridging visas and travel. If family members are in Australia, check what visa they hold while the 485 is processed and get advice before anyone travels.
Which route applies to you: quick reference table
| Your situation | Can you include family? | Which family members |
|---|---|---|
| Applied for 485 before 13 November 2026 | Yes, under the old rules | As allowed on your date of application |
| First 485, family held a dependant Student visa on 2 October 2026 or in the last six months | Yes | Only those on your previous Student visa |
| Second 485, family held a dependant 485 now or in the last six months | Yes | Only those on your previous 485 |
| Pacific or ASEAN national | Yes | Any eligible family members |
| Completed a PhD on a Student visa | Yes | Any eligible family members |
| Course fully funded by a foreign government | Yes | Any eligible family members |
| Child born after your latest Student or 485 grant | Yes | That child, included in the same application |
| Spouse married after Student visa grant, never a dependant, no exemption | No | Not eligible as a 485 secondary applicant |
| Wanting to add family after lodging or after grant | No | Subsequent entrant route has closed for everyone |
Common mistakes that will cost you
Trusting ImmiAccount to stop you
Home Affairs warns that ImmiAccount may let you add family members who do not meet the new rules. If you do, their application will be invalid. An invalid application cannot be reviewed at the Administrative Review Tribunal, and lodging one may affect that family member's visa status. The online form is not an eligibility check.
Lodging your own 485 first to "save time"
Under the old system this was a common strategy, especially when a spouse's documents were not ready. It now permanently excludes that family member from your 485. Wait until every eligible person's documents are ready and lodge together.
Letting a dependant visa lapse before you apply
If your partner left Australia and their dependant Student visa ended, count the months. Once you are past six months, and they did not hold the visa on 2 October 2026, they fall outside Route 1. If your course has finished, plan the 485 lodgement with that window in mind.
Leaving Australia before lodging
The primary applicant must be in Australia when applying. Graduates who fly home for a wedding or family visit and plan to lodge from overseas will not meet this requirement.
Forgetting a newborn born overseas
If your child was born outside Australia after your latest Student visa grant, include them in the 485 application. Once the 485 is granted, you cannot add them.
What this means for Indian and Malaysian graduates
Indian graduates
India is not an ASEAN or Pacific country, so Indian graduates rely on Route 1, a PhD, foreign-government funding, or the newborn route. In practice, Indian applicants are among the most exposed to this change, because a common pattern was to study alone, marry in India after or near course completion, and then bring a spouse on the 485 as a subsequent entrant. That pattern no longer works for applications made from 13 November 2026.
If you are still studying and you are married, the decision about whether your partner joins you as a Student visa dependant now has a direct effect on your 485 later. Read our guide on student visa dependants in 2026 before making that call, and keep in mind the October 2026 Student visa rules on including family.
Malaysian graduates
Malaysia is an ASEAN member country, so Malaysian passport holders fall within the exemption. Home Affairs confirms that Pacific or ASEAN nationals can include any eligible family members, including people who were not their dependants before. You still have to be in Australia when you lodge, and your family must apply in the same combined application. The subsequent entrant route is closed for you too.
If your family member cannot be included
Being excluded from the 485 does not end every option, but each alternative has its own criteria and none is automatic:
- Their own visa. A partner may qualify for a visa in their own right, such as a Student visa or a work visa, assessed on their own profile.
- A visitor visa for short stays. A Visitor visa (subclass 600) can suit short visits, but it is assessed on genuine visitor criteria and is not a way to live in Australia. See our guide to the visitor visa from India.
- The next visa in your pathway. Many graduates use the 485 to move to an employer sponsored or skilled visa. Those applications have their own family member rules, so plan your partner's inclusion at that stage with advice.
How EazyViza can help
EazyViza is backed by Collins Quarters, a migration and commercial law firm with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Chennai and Kuala Lumpur. Our team works with Indian and Malaysian graduates every week. For a 485 with family, we can:
- check each family member against the three routes and the 2 October 2026 and six-month dates
- review your visa history in VEVO and grant letters so nothing is lodged invalidly
- prepare a single combined application with the right evidence for each person
- plan the timing of your lodgement around course completion, travel and your next visa
Start with our 485 visa application service or book an initial assessment with our migration team.
Official sources
- Home Affairs: Changes to Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) family member rules
- Home Affairs: Temporary Graduate visa factsheet (PDF)
- Federal Register of Legislation: F2026L01500
- Home Affairs: Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485)
- Home Affairs: Changes to Student visa application rules (500 and 590)
Disclaimer: This article is general information only and is not legal advice. Australian migration law changes often, sometimes with no notice. Check the official Home Affairs pages before you lodge, and get advice on your own circumstances from a registered migration agent or lawyer.
Frequently asked questions
Can I add my spouse to my 485 visa after it is granted?
No. For 485 applications made from 13 November 2026, family members cannot be added after you lodge or after grant, and they cannot apply later as subsequent entrants. Home Affairs says this applies even if you meet the criteria to include them. Every eligible partner and child must be included in the same combined application at the time you apply.
Can my wife apply for a 485 subsequent entrant visa after 13 November 2026?
No. The Migration Amendment (Temporary Graduate Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 require a secondary applicant to apply at the same time as, and combined with, the primary applicant. The subsequent entrant route has closed for all 485 applications made on or after 13 November 2026. Applications lodged before that date are assessed under the earlier rules.
Who is exempt from the new 485 family member rules?
You can include any eligible family members, even people who were not your dependants before, if you are a Pacific or ASEAN national, you completed a PhD while holding a Student visa, or you completed a course fully funded by a foreign government while on a Student visa. You must still be in Australia when you apply and lodge one combined application with your family.
Do the new 485 family rules affect applications lodged before 13 November 2026?
No. Home Affairs states that if you applied before 13 November 2026, your application will be assessed under the rules in place on the date you applied. The new rules only apply to Temporary Graduate visa applications made on or after 13 November 2026, which is when the amending regulations commenced.
Can I include my newborn baby in my 485 visa application?
Yes, if the child was born after your most recent Student visa or 485 was granted. A child born outside Australia must be included in your 485 application, because you cannot add them after grant. A child born in Australia while you hold a 485 automatically holds a 485 as your dependant, but you must notify the Department of the birth.
Are Malaysian graduates affected by the 485 family member changes?
Malaysia is an ASEAN member country, so Malaysian passport holders fall within the Pacific or ASEAN exemption and can include any eligible family members, including people who were not previously dependants. The other new rules still apply: you must be in Australia when you lodge, family must apply in the same application, and subsequent entrant applications are no longer possible.
Can my family be outside Australia when I apply for the 485?
Yes. Under the new rules the primary applicant must be in Australia when applying, but eligible family members can be in or outside Australia. Everyone must still lodge together in one combined application. If you leave Australia before lodging, you will not meet the location requirement, so plan any overseas travel around your lodgement date.