Study Visa

This visa will allow you to live in Australia as the guardian of an international student who is younger than 18 years of age and studying in Australia on a student visa.

REQUIREMENTS:

• You must be a parent, legal guardian, or relative of the student who is 21 years of age or older.
• You cannot bring any family members younger than 6 years of age, unless you are applying for this visa with the help of your home country’s government.
• You must be able to provide accommodation, general welfare, and other support to the student.
• The length of your visa will be determined by the student visa holder’s stay and their age.
• The cost of the visa is AUD650.
• The processing time for the visa is 4-6 months.

Some additional things to keep in mind when applying for the Student Guardian Visa:

• You will need to provide proof of your relationship to the student, as well as proof of your ability to provide accommodation and support.
• You will also need to provide a police clearance certificate from your home country.
• The visa application process can be complex, so it is important to seek professional help if you are unsure about any of the requirements.

Pre-qualifying visas

While applying for a visa in Australia, you must hold a current substantive temporary visa, but not one of the following:

• Domestic Worker (Temporary) – Diplomatic or Consular visa (subclass 426)
• Temporary Work (International Relations) visa (subclass 403) in the Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or consular) stream
• Diplomatic (Temporary) visa (subclass 995) – primary visa holder only. It means a family member of a Diplomatic (Temporary) visa (subclass 995) can apply for a student visa in Australia.
• Transit visa (subclass 771)
• Visitor visa (subclass 600) in the ‘Sponsored Family’ stream or the ‘Approved Destination Status’ stream

Substantive temporary:

A substantive temporary visa is a visa that allows you to stay in Australia for a limited period of time. It is not a bridging visa, a criminal justice visa, or an enforcement visa.

Here are some examples of substantive temporary visas:

• Student visa
• Work visa
• Tourist visa
• Skilled worker visa
• Family visa.

Bringing children:

You can bring your children under 6 years old to Australia if:

• You have a good reason for doing so.
• Granting your visa would benefit the relationship between Australia and another country.
• You are at least 21 years old.
• Your child has a parent or guardian who supports your application in writing.
• Your child meets the health requirements and has health insurance.

Note: Children who are six years old or older can come with you, but they must apply for their own student visas.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this visa, you must:

• Be a parent or legal guardian of the student or a relative who is 21 years or older and nominated in writing by a parent.
• Not bring family members younger than six years of age, except under certain circumstances.
• Be able to provide accommodation, general welfare, and other support to the student unless you are applying for this visa with the help of your home country’s government.

You must also:

• Meet health and character requirements.
• Have enough money to support yourself and any dependents accompanying you and the student.
• Have adequate health insurance for you and any dependants coming with you.
• Not owe any money to the Australian government or have arranged to repay any money owed.
• Only temporary stay in Australia.
• Provide biometric information if we ask for it.

Required Document

Financial requirement

You need to have sufficient money authentically available to support you, the student, and the children coming with you for the period of your stay in Australia. You will declare this in your visa application.

You must also furnish proof of financial capacity by showing one of the following:

• Proof of funds to cover travel costs and 12 months’ living costs for yourself and any other children coming with you.
  
• Proof that your spouse (who is not traveling to Australia) will support you and your dependents and has an annual income of at least AUD 70,000.

If the visa grant significantly benefits the relationship between Australia and the government of your home country, in that case, you only need to show proof of funds for yourself and your dependents, not the student.

Minimum 12 months’ living cost for your stay in Australia.

COSTS:

AMOUNT REQUIRED IN AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS (AUD)

You (the Student Guardian visa applicant)

19,830 per year

Child, if applicable

2,970 per year for each child

It gives you an idea about the cost of living in Australia. Actual living costs may vary depending on where you live.

Please Note: The financial capacity requirement depends upon your eligibility for the grant of the student guardian visa. The living costs required from you to declare or provide with your visa application are as per the cost of living in Australia. However, the student should be aware that actual living costs may differ according to the area you wish to live in, and it is suggested that you research this yourself.

Access to funds

You must possess authentic access to funds. The funds indicated in the visa application must be available for use to financially support you and your family members during your stay in Australia.

Funds to support you and your family members must come from an adequate source such as:

• Money deposits with a financial institution.
• A financial institution or government loans.
• Scholarships or sponsorships.

When your application is assessed, we decide whether the funds shown will be authentically available, by taking into account factors, such as:

• The nature of the relationship between you and the person providing the funds, where applicable.
• Your income, assets, and employment or that of the person who is providing the funds.
• Your previous visa history and that of the person providing the funds.
• Annual income option.

The annual income prerequisite is AUD 70,000 or more. In addition, the income must be one of the following:

• The personal income of your spouse.
• In the form of official government documentation such as a tax assessment (or country equivalent).
• You have to show the present income earned during a period ending less than 12 months before you lodged the visa application. For example, a tax assessment issued in December 2017 for a visa application registered in July 2018 would be good enough.

Health insurance

You must supply proof that you have enough health insurance for the period of your stay in Australia. For example, you can show your Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) or another health insurance product from Australia or your home country that provides a similar level of cover.

All student visa holders are required to have their health insurance.

Identity and relationship documents

You need to furnish identity documents and evidence of your relationship with the student. It can include a birth certificate showing the names of both parents.

You must also provide:

• A birth certificate showing the names of both parents.
• The pages of each applicant’s current passport showing photo, personal details, and passport issue and expiry dates.
• Two recent passport photographs (45 mm x 35 mm):
• The photograph should be of the head and shoulders only against a plain background.

• • The applicant’s name must be printed on the back of the photo.

  • Proof of change of name, if applicable.

Genuine temporary entrant requirement:

When we assess if you plan to reside in Australia temporarily, we will consider:

• Your circumstances in your home country.
• Your potential circumstances in Australia.
• Your immigration history.
• Anything else that relates to your plan to remain in Australia temporarily.

Proof that you will live in Australia provisionally, such as:

• Evidence of immediate family members in your home country.
• Your visa or residence status in your home country and your right to return.
• Proof of property or other significant assets in your home country.
• A return air ticket.
• A letter from your employer confirming your leave.

Bringing children

Under circumstances where a child under six years old is coming with you to Australia, without their legal guardians, then you have to show the following:

• Consent Form 1229 to grant an Australian visa to a child under the age of 18 years (125KB PDF) that the legal guardian has filled, or
• A statutory declaration from the legal guardian consenting for the applicant to travel to Australia on this visa.

Along with the above, you also need to attach a certified copy of the legal guardian’s identity papers, such as a birth certificate, passport, or driver’s license.

Preparing your application

You need to translate your Non-English documents. Your translator also needs to be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters when you are in Australia. If you are outside Australia, get in touch with the Australian mission in the country that issued the documents for a translator.

• Scan all documents – both non-English documents and translated documents.
• Attach scanned copies to your online application when asked.
• Supply certified copies of your documents.
• Submit all documents with your application, or your application could be refused or delayed.

Visa conditions

You must meet all visa conditions and Australian laws requirements. The visa conditions might apply differently to you and your family members. Your visa could be canceled if you infringe on your visa conditions.

Visa conditions might include, among others:

• Student guardians must stay with the nominating student and look after their general welfare, accommodation, and support.
• Student guardian must not leave Australia without the nominating student.
• Student guardian must maintain relevant health insurance for yourself and any dependent children living with you.
• Student guardians must not work while in Australia.

You can view your visa details, including conditions of Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO)- Click for the official website.

If you have been granted a visa with the government’s support in your home country, you will have different visa conditions.

Entering and leaving Australia

You can enter and leave Australia temporarily during the visa term, but you cannot leave Australia without the nominating student unless you make separate welfare arrangements.

If you require leaving Australia without the student, you must put forward the proof indicating:

• There are sympathetic or convincing reasons for doing so.
• You have made appropriate alternative arrangements for the student’s accommodation, general welfare, and support until you return.

The alternative arrangements must be acceptable by the visa provider as well as by your education provider. Inform your education provider as soon as you know you need to travel and talk about your circumstances with them.

There are two ways you can make alternative welfare arrangements:

• Nominate an alternative student guardian who must be, except in limited circumstances, a parent or relative aged 21 years or over. To do this, make use of Form 157N Nomination of a student guardian. This form outlines documentation you require to show when nominating a student’s guardian. Send this form, the education provider’s authorization (in a letter or email), and the needed documentation to your nearby office before you leave Australia.
• The student’s education provider can take accountability for the student’s welfare by issuing a Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation and Welfare (CAAW) letter, stating the start and end dates for approval of welfare arrangements.

We can inform you if the alternative welfare arrangements have been accepted. If we decide that the welfare arrangements are inappropriate, you cannot leave Australia without your nominating student(s).

If you need to leave Australia permanently and your student needs to continue studying, you must accept new welfare arrangements.

If you do not comply with your Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) conditions, your visa might get canceled, and there is also a chance of the nominating student’s visa getting revoked.