Australia guide · Spouse and family · 4 min read
Studying in Australia with your spouse after October 2026: what's still possible.
From 2 October 2026, a new Australian Student visa application can't include your husband, wife or children unless an exemption applies, and family can't be added after the visa is granted. For Nepali students the main exemption is studying a doctorate. Applications lodged before 2 October are assessed under the old rules. Couples who both want to go now usually need two student visas, each with its own course, money and genuine-student case.
The short version
- From 2 October 2026, new student visa applications can't include family members unless you're exempt. There's no way to add them after grant.
- The main exemption for Nepali students: doctoral study (a PhD or professional doctorate).
- Files lodged before 2 October 2026 use the old rules. Current visas aren't affected.
- Couples who both want to study now need two separate student visas, each with its own CoE, money and Genuine Student answers.
- Partner living costs under the old rules were AUD 10,394 a year; that figure still matters for exempt students and pre-October files.
What changed on 2 October 2026
Until 2 October 2026, a Nepali student could include a spouse and children in the student visa application, show extra money for them, and the family travelled together. Many guides you’ll find online still describe that.
From 2 October 2026, as Study Australia states it:
- New Student visa applications can’t include family members unless an exemption applies.
- Family can’t be added after the visa is granted. There are no exemptions to this part.
- Applications lodged before 2 October 2026 are assessed under the rules at the time.
- Current visas aren’t affected. A family already in Australia on an existing student visa keeps it.
- Restrictions on family members for the 485 Temporary Graduate visa are also planned, with no date given yet.
Who’s exempt
| Exemption | Does it apply to Nepali students? |
|---|---|
| Doctoral students (PhD or professional doctorate) | Yes, the main route |
| Pacific and ASEAN nationals | No |
| Fully funded foreign-government scholarship holders | Only if Nepal’s government fully funds your scholarship |
| Students sponsored by Australia’s foreign affairs (DFAT) or defence departments | Rarely; Australia Awards scholars should check their terms |
Your options as a married student
| Option | What it takes | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| A doctorate | A strong research record, a supervisor, usually a research scholarship | Graduates with a master’s and research experience |
| Two student visas | Two courses, two CoEs, two money files, two Genuine Student cases | Couples who both have a study plan that follows from their past |
| One goes now, one later on their own visa | The second applies when ready, as a student or on another visa they qualify for | Couples where only one has a ready file |
| A different country | A country whose student route still allows family | Couples who must travel together |
Two student visas: how it works
Each of you applies as a main applicant. Each needs:
- A course that follows from your own study or work
- Your own CoE and OSHC
- Your own money evidence: first-year tuition + AUD 29,710 + travel each
- Your own Genuine Student answers
That roughly doubles the money: for two one-year master’s at AUD 35,000, you’d show about Rs 1.4 crore. Each file is assessed separately, so one can be granted and the other refused. Don’t apply for a course only so your spouse can come: that’s exactly what the Genuine Student test is designed to catch.
If your file was lodged before 2 October 2026
It’s assessed under the earlier rules, where a partner could be included with extra funds:
| Family member | Living costs a year (earlier rules) |
|---|---|
| Spouse or partner | AUD 10,394 |
| Each child | AUD 4,449 |
| School costs, each school-age child | AUD 13,502 |
You’d also have needed the relationship evidence (marriage registration certificate from the ward office, photos, joint documents) and family OSHC.
Countries that still allow a spouse
| Country | Spouse on a student visa? |
|---|---|
| Australia | Not on new applications from 2 Oct 2026, unless exempt |
| United Kingdom | Only for PhD and research degrees, or government-sponsored courses over 6 months |
| Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway | Family members of degree students can usually apply, with their own money requirement |
| Germany, Netherlands, Belgium | Possible under each country’s family reunification rules, with conditions |
Rules differ and change; check the official page for the country before you plan around it. The UK dependants guide has the UK detail, and our Europe page compares the nine European countries.
From our files. In 2026 we’ve had several married couples ask about going together. Most chose one of two routes: one spouse goes now on a strong file while the other builds theirs for a later intake, or both apply to a Nordic country where the family can come. We wouldn’t lodge a second, weaker file just to keep a couple together; a refusal would follow both of them.
Your checklist if you’re married
- Check whether your application date and course type make you exempt
- If not, decide: two visas, one now and one later, a doctorate, or another country
- If two visas, two genuine study plans that each stand on their own
- Marriage registration and relationship evidence ready either way
- The money for each person, documented to its source
