Most student visas allow you to bring your family members to Australia as your dependants if you are:
* assessment level 1 or 2
or * assessment level 3 or 4 and your course is longer than 12 months or you have been in Australia for 12 months or more.
Your assessment level is determined by your course of study and your nationality. See: Overseas Student Program - Assessment Levels (formerly known as Form 1219i) (127KB PDF file) Definition of family members
Family members include your partner and you and your partner's dependent children.
A partner is your spouse (the person you are married to) or de facto partner (including same-sex partners). A de facto relationship applies if you have been living with a person for at least 12 months, and you have a genuine and exclusive relationship with them.
A dependent child is the child or stepchild, of yourself or your partner who:
* is not married or engaged to be married or in a de facto relationship * has not turned 18.
How can your family members come to Australia?
Your family members can apply to come with you to Australia in the following ways:
* They can apply to join you in Australia as your dependants. See: How to apply for dependent family members to join you * They can apply for a Student Guardian visa. See: Student Guardians * If they plan to study in Australia, they can apply for a student visa in their own right.
