How to Apply for Dependant Family Members to Join You
You can apply for eligible family members to come to Australia as dependants in one of two ways:
- by including them in your student visa application
See: Visa Options - by applying for them to join you after you have started your course in Australia.
Important: You must declare all family members on your application, even if they do not plan to travel with you to Australia. If you do not do this, your family members will not be eligible to apply to join you after you have started your course in Australia.
Application process
The table below outlines the three-stage process to apply for family members to join you after you have started your course in Australia.
| Stage | Who | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Student in Australia | Completes the relevant parts of the following forms. See: Form 919 Nomination of student dependants (161KB PDF file) See: Form 157A Application for student visa (531KB PDF file) Note: Student must then send the forms to the family member outside Australia. |
| 2 | Family member outside Australia | Submits the completed forms and the documentation required to the nearest departmental office overseas and pays the application fee. |
| 3 | Departmental office | Informs the family member that:
|
Sending documents with your application
If you are applying for your dependants to join you in Australia after you have started your course, you will need to provide the following:
- Form 919 Nomination of student dependants
- Form 157A Application for a student visa
- an original letter from the education provider stating:
- the course you are studying
- the duration of the course and your expected completion date
- if you are satisfying course requirements
- evidence that you have enough money to support your dependants in Australia
- evidence of your relationship with your dependants in the form of officially issued birth and marriage certificates
- evidence of school enrolment for your school-aged dependants
- evidence of health insurance for each dependant.