485 Temporary Graduate visa and family members: announced, not yet law

Status in one place

- Announced 17 September 2026, no law yet: stopping the attachment of family members to graduate visas. Said in the Minister's speech.
- No start date announced. No exemptions announced.
- No amending regulation or instrument found for the 485 as at 12 October 2026.
- Official 485 pages unchanged on family. The Post-Higher Education Work stream page was last updated 7 October 2026 and the Post-Vocational Education Work stream page on 24 September 2026.
- In force for the Student visa (500), not the 485: the family restrictions that started on 2 October 2026. See student-visa-family-members-changes-2026.

Some web commentary treats the 500 and 485 family limits as both in force. Only the 500 limit is.

What the Minister said

In the National Press Club speech on 17 September 2026, Tony Burke said: “for international students, we will no longer be allowing the attaching of family members for international students or for graduate visas. Anyone who already has their family attached to a visa and is already here, we're not going to be breaking up families onshore. … But we will no longer be adding to the stock of students automatically being able to bring family members over.”

Two things stand out. The words “or for graduate visas” appear in the speech. They do not appear in the media release of the same day, which says only “restricting secondary applicants on most student visas”, and the Home Affairs policy page uses the same bullet. The Home Affairs policy page, the only official statement on timing, says the changes “have begun to be implemented and will be progressively rolled out over the next 12 months”.

The speech gave no start date for graduates, and it did not say whether the Pacific, ASEAN or doctoral exemptions that apply to the Student visa would apply to the 485. Those points are open.

What the law still says

The Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026 (F2026L01347) amend the Student visa, subclass 500, only. No amendment was found to the Temporary Graduate visa criteria, which sit in item 1229 of Schedule 1 and Part 485 of Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations, as at 12 October 2026.

Home Affairs' pages for the Post-Higher Education Work stream and the Post-Vocational Education Work stream both say, under including family: “You can include members of your family unit in your application when you apply, if they are in Australia.” They also say: “If you want to add your family member to your visa after we have granted it, they can apply as a subsequent entrant. They can apply from in or outside Australia.”

The general landing page for the 485 shows no notice about the package and was last updated on 14 December 2024. So both the law and the official pages still allow family members on a 485 as at 12 October 2026. That can change if the government makes a regulation. A regulation of this kind can be made by the Governor-General and takes effect from its start date, which is why this page is dated.

What the 17-class onshore rule does for graduates

Do not confuse the family announcement with a different rule that is in force. From 2 October 2026, a Temporary Graduate (485) holder is one of 17 classes of visa holder who can only lodge a Student (500) or Student Guardian (590) application from outside Australia (LIN 26/102). Home Affairs says there are no exemptions for these holders. The 485 was already on the earlier list, which LIN 26/102 replaced, so this part is not new for graduates. It concerns lodging a Student visa while holding a 485, not family members on the 485.

See student-visa-changes-october-2026 for the list and the exemptions.

Who is not affected today

Because the 485 family limit is not law, there is nothing yet to be affected by. In particular:

- Applications for a 485, with family members included, can still be made under the current criteria, according to Home Affairs' 485 pages as at 7 October 2026.
- Family members already included on a granted 485 are covered by the Minister's statement that families already here will not be broken up. That statement concerned families “already here”. How a future regulation would treat them, and any family member added later, has not been published.
- A decision on any application is made under the law in force at the time set by the relevant transitional rules. If a regulation is made, its application provision will say which applications it covers. The Student visa regulations applied to applications made on or after the start date. A future 485 regulation may or may not follow the same approach. Nothing has been published.

If you hold, or have applied for, a Student visa, a Temporary Graduate visa or family visas connected to either, a registered migration agent can look at your own dates and circumstances.

Why people are asking, and what other sources say

Search interest is high because many international students plan to apply for a 485 after finishing their course, and some plan to include a partner or child. Law firm and migration agent websites are covering the issue. Some state the 485 rule as if it is in force. The government's own pages do not support that reading as at 12 October 2026.

One law firm blog reports that an Assistant Minister's release of 2 October 2026 used the words “Similar restrictions will apply to Temporary Graduate visas”. That release was not confirmed against the government source for this page, so it is not relied on here. The Minister's speech is the primary source.

Policy context: on 17 September 2026 the Minister said the package was designed to deliver the Budget forecasts for Net Overseas Migration of 245,000 in 2026-27 and 225,000 in 2027-28. Student numbers in the planning levels were left unchanged. Read the net overseas migration page on this site for more.

What is not decided yet, and what to watch

Dated as at 12 October 2026.

- Whether and when a regulation will limit family on the 485. None found.
- Start date and transitional rules. If a regulation is made, its application clause will say which applications are covered.
- Exemptions. The Student visa has exemptions for doctoral students, Defence and Foreign Affairs students, foreign government scholarship holders and Pacific and ASEAN passport holders. Nothing has been said about the 485.
- Whether family members already on a 485, or added later as subsequent entrants, would be treated differently.
- Whether the free trade agreement concessions on the 485 would interact. The Minister said: “We are working within all free trade agreements in everything that I've said … we're not about to undermine that.”
- Home Affairs' 485 pages. A banner or a change to the family wording would be the first official sign.

This page will be updated when an instrument or Home Affairs notice appears. General information only. Whether any of this applies to your case is a question for a MARA-registered migration agent, who can assess your circumstances.

Can I include my partner and children in a 485 application now?

According to Home Affairs' Temporary Graduate pages as at 7 October 2026, yes: you can include members of your family unit in your application if they are in Australia, and add them later as subsequent entrants. The Minister has announced a change but no law has been made. A registered agent can confirm the current position for your case.

Has the government banned family members on the 485?

Not yet in law. The Minister said on 17 September 2026 that family attachment would stop for graduate visas. As at 12 October 2026 no regulation, start date or exemptions had been published.

Is the student visa family ban the same as the 485 one?

No. The Student visa (500) family limits started on 2 October 2026 through the Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026. Those regulations amend the 500 only.

When will the 485 family change start?

No start date has been announced. The Home Affairs policy page says only that changes will be progressively rolled out over the next 12 months.

Will people already in Australia with family on a 485 be affected?

The Minister said families already here would not be broken up. No regulation has been published, so how any rule would treat existing 485 families is not known.

Will the Pacific, ASEAN or PhD exemptions apply to the 485?

Not announced. Those exemptions exist for the Student visa. The speech and the Home Affairs pages say nothing on exemptions for the 485.

Can a 485 holder apply for a Student visa in Australia?

No. The 485 is one of the 17 visa classes in LIN 26/102 whose holders can only lodge a Student or Student Guardian application from outside Australia, and Home Affairs says there are no exemptions.

Where can I check the current position?

Home Affairs' Temporary Graduate (485) pages and the Federal Register of Legislation at legislation.gov.au for any amendment to the Migration Regulations. This page is dated 12 October 2026 and will be updated.