Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa: new rules on including partners and children from 13 November 2026

The Migration Amendment (Temporary Graduate Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 were made on 12 November 2026 and commenced on 13 November 2026. They change who can be included as a family member in a subclass 485 Temporary Graduate visa application. The requirements for the graduate, the primary applicant, are unchanged.

The amendments apply to an application made on or after 13 November 2026. The Department of Home Affairs states that an application made before that date is assessed under the rules in place on the date it was made.

The explanatory statement says the measures are intended to reinforce the intent of the TGV program to provide access to work experience in Australia to recent international graduates, to align secondary applicant settings with the student visa, and to contribute to better management of temporary migration. They follow the student visa changes of 2 October 2026.

When a family member can be included

A partner or child can be included in a 485 application only if at least one of these applies:

Family members who can be included in a 485 application from 13 November 2026

Case	What the Regulations require
Pacific or ASEAN passport	The graduate holds a passport from a Pacific-regional country or one of the ASEAN countries listed in the Regulations.
Doctoral graduate	The graduate’s most recent student visa was granted for a doctoral degree that has been completed.
Foreign government funded	The graduate’s most recent student visa was granted for a course or courses each fully funded by a foreign government.
Child born after the last grant	The family member is the graduate’s child, born after the graduate’s most recent student visa or 485 was granted.
Already on the student visa	The family member holds, or held on 2 October 2026 or in the six months before the 485 application, a student visa as the graduate’s family member.
Already on the 485	The family member holds, or held in the six months before the application, a 485 as the graduate’s family member.

One combined application, no adding family later

A family member must apply at the same time as the graduate, combined with the graduate’s application. The graduate must be in Australia. The family member can be in or outside Australia, but not in immigration clearance.

A family member can no longer apply later to join someone who already holds a 485. The Department’s page states that this applies even if you meet the eligibility criteria to include them in your application.

A family member who is in Australia when the application is made must hold a substantive visa, or a Bridging A or Bridging B visa granted on the basis of a valid visa application. There is also a limited case for a person whose student visa cancellation was set aside by the Administrative Review Tribunal, if the 485 application is made within 28 days of being notified of the Tribunal’s decision.

Main applicants under 18

A graduate under 18 must now also meet public interest criteria 4017 and 4018, which deal with the consent of those who can decide where a child lives and the best interests of the child. These criteria already applied to family members under 18.

If this affects you

Whether your partner or children can be included depends on the visas they held on 2 October 2026 and in the last six months, and on your passport and course. Provide us with your current visa grant notice and your family members’ visa grant notices before you lodge. The rest of the 485 requirements are in our subclass 485 guide.