Student under 18 years of age - additional requirements

Students under 18 years of age have specific visa requirements.

Parental permission

If you are under 18 years of age, your parents and/or anyone who can legally decide where you can live must give permission for you to study in Australia.

If any of these people cannot sign your student visa application on your behalf, they must sign one of the following:

• a statutory declaration giving their permission. You must submit this declaration with your application.
  See: Attorney-General's Department > Statutory Declarations
• the consent form for children under the age of 18 years
  See: Form 1229 Consent form to grant an Australian visa to a child under the age of 18 years (125KB PDF file)

Accommodation and welfare arrangements

If you are under 18 years of age, you must have acceptable arrangements for your accommodation, support and general welfare for the duration of your student visa or until you turn 18 (whichever happens first).

You must show that you will either:

• live in Australia with your parent or legal custodian
• live in Australia with a relative over 21 years of age who is nominated by your parent or legal custodian
• live in Australia under a welfare arrangement that has been approved by your education provider.

Welfare provided by a parent or legal custodian

If your parent or legal custodian will be providing welfare for you during your stay in Australia this should be indicated on your application form.

You can arrange to bring a parent or legal custodian to Australia as your carer on a Student Guardian visa.
See: Student Guardians
See also: Bringing Family

Welfare provided by a relative

If a relative will be providing welfare for you during your stay in Australia your parents and/or legal custodians will need to give their permission for this arrangement on your application form and your relative must be nominated.
See: Form 157N Nomination of a student guardian (171KB PDF file)

Your nominated relative must be one of the following:

• brother or sister
• stepbrother or stepsister
• step-parent
• grandparent
• step-grandparent
• aunt or uncle
• step-aunt or step-uncle
• niece or nephew
• step-niece or step-nephew
• spouse

They must also:

• be aged over 21 years of age
• be eligible to remain in Australia until your visa expires or you turn 18 (whichever happens first)
• be of good character.
  See: Character and penal clearance requirements

You can also arrange to bring a relative to Australia as your guardian on a student guardian visa.
See: Student Guardians
See also: Bringing Family

Welfare provided by an education provider

Your parents and/or legal custodians can give their permission on your application form for your accommodation, support and general welfare arrangements to be provided by your education provider.

If your welfare is being approved by your education provider you will need to submit with your application a signed statement from the provider which confirms the start and end dates of these welfare arrangements. This letter is called a Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation/Welfare Arrangements (CAAW) letter and if granted, your visa end date will correspond with the welfare dates on the letter.

If you are already in Australia when you lodge an application you need to show evidence of adequate arrangements for welfare when you lodge your student visa application.
See: Bringing Family

If your welfare arrangements are approved by your education provider you cannot travel to Australia until your welfare arrangements commence. Your welfare arrangements commence on the welfare start date that your education provider has nominated on the CAAW.
Note: Education providers are not obliged to approve friends or other relatives as a homestay provider for you. A homestay provider must meet requirements to be accepted as student guardians.

Change of welfare arrangements

It is a requirement of your visa that appropriate welfare arrangements be maintained during your stay in Australia. If you do not maintain adequate welfare arrangements during your stay in Australia your student visa may be cancelled.

If you intend to change your welfare arrangements at any time you must have written approval for this change. Depending on your circumstances, this approval must come from either your parents/legal custodian or your education provider and the department must be notified.

If you are changing your welfare arrangements from education provider approved arrangements to welfare provided by a relative, you must lodge a completed form 157N with the department.
See: Form 157N Nomination of a student guardian (171KB PDF file)

If you do not maintain adequate welfare arrangements during your stay in Australia your student visa may be cancelled.