Subclass 485 Visa Family Members from 13 November 2026: Who Can Still Be Included, and No Adding Family Later

From 13 November 2026, a partner or child can be included in a Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa application only in six listed situations. They include a graduate with a Pacific-regional or listed ASEAN passport, a completed doctoral degree, and family members who hold, or held in the last 6 months, a student visa or a 485 as the graduate's dependant. In every other case, family members can't be included.

Then there's the back door, now closed. Family members must now apply at the same time as the graduate, in one combined application, so a family member can't be added to a 485 after it's granted.

These rules apply to 485 applications made on or after 13 November 2026. An application lodged on or before 12 November is decided under the old rules. This 485 change follows the student visa reform of 2 October 2026. According to the explanatory statement, the aim is to keep the 485 about work experience for recent graduates, "rather than a pathway for family migration".

The six situations where family can still be included

A family member can apply with the graduate only if at least one of these applies:

• Pacific or ASEAN passport. The graduate holds a passport from a Pacific-regional country or one of the ten listed ASEAN countries (see the table below).
• Doctoral graduate. The graduate's most recent student visa was granted for a doctoral degree that has been completed.
• Foreign government funded study. The graduate's most recent student visa was granted for one or more courses, each of them fully funded by a foreign government.
• A child born later. The family member is the graduate's child, born after the graduate's most recent student visa or 485 was granted.
• Already on the graduate's student visa. The family member holds, or held on 2 October 2026 or at any time in the 6 months before the 485 application, a student visa as the graduate's dependant, where the graduate held that student visa as the main applicant.
• Already on the graduate's 485. The family member holds, or held at any time in the 6 months before the application, a 485 as the graduate's dependant, where the graduate held that 485 as the main applicant.

Those last two protect families already here. Their windows are fixed: 6 months back from the day of the new 485 application, with 2 October 2026 also counting for student visa dependants.

The ASEAN list is the one the student visa uses for its lower charges and family exceptions, and the 485 rule refers to it directly. Pacific-regional country has its own definition in the Regulations.

Worked example: two graduates finished the same master's by coursework, neither with a passport on the lists above. One graduate's partner is in Australia holding a student visa as that graduate's dependant, so the partner can be included in the 485 application. Another graduate's partner lives overseas and never held a dependant visa, so none of the six situations applies. That partner can't be included in this graduate's 485 now, or added after it's granted.

What changed on 13 November

One change runs the other way. A family member who qualifies can now be outside Australia when the combined application is made. Before, a family member applying with the graduate had to be in Australia.

Everything else is tidying up. The Replacement stream, closed to new applications in 2024, has been removed, along with the charges for adding family to a 485 after grant.

What the family members cost

Charges for a combined application haven't changed. If you apply with family, these apply from 1 July 2026:

Here, "second 485" means an application in the Post-Higher Education Work stream by a graduate who already holds a 485 in the Post-Study Work or Post-Higher Education Work stream.

Worked example: a graduate without a Pacific-regional passport applying for a first 485 with an eligible partner pays $5,750 plus $2,875, or $8,625, all at lodgement.

Lodge it right the first time

An application that doesn't meet these rules isn't a valid application. What follows is spelled out in the explanatory statement. Your application won't be considered, so no visa can be granted, and there's no merits review at the Administrative Review Tribunal. Only judicial review remains.

So check the six situations before anyone pays, and include every eligible family member in the graduate's application. Anyone left off can't be added later, even while the graduate's application is still being decided. Family members applying from inside Australia must also hold a substantive visa, or a bridging visa A or B granted on a valid application.

For everything else about the 485, including streams, English scores, the age limit and the second 485, see our subclass 485 guide. For the student visa side of the same reform, read our post on student visa changes from 2 October 2026.

FAQ

Can I add my partner to my 485 visa after it's granted?

No, not under the rules from 13 November 2026. A family member must apply at the same time as the graduate, combined with the graduate's 485 application, so a partner or child can't be added to a 485 that has already been granted. Family members included in applications made before 13 November keep the rules that applied then.

Can I bring my wife or husband on a 485 visa?

Only in six listed situations, for 485 applications made from 13 November 2026. They include a graduate with a Pacific-regional or listed ASEAN passport, a completed doctoral degree, foreign government funded study, or a spouse who held a student visa or 485 as the graduate's dependant within the last 6 months. Otherwise the spouse can't be included.

What are the new rules for the 485 visa in 2026?

From 13 November 2026, family members can be included in a 485 application only in six listed situations, must apply at the same time as the graduate, and can't be added after grant. The closed Replacement stream was removed, and child custody criteria now also apply to a graduate under 18. Visa charges didn't change.

Can I get a 485 visa for my dependent child?

Yes, if one of the six situations applies. A child born after the graduate's most recent student visa or 485 was granted can always be included, as can a child who held a student visa or 485 as the graduate's dependant within the last 6 months. Graduates with a Pacific-regional or listed ASEAN passport can include children too.

Can I add my de facto partner to my 485 visa?

The same rules apply to a de facto partner as to a spouse, because both count as members of the family unit. From 13 November 2026, a de facto partner can be included only in one of the six listed situations, and only in the same combined application as the graduate. They can't be added after the 485 is granted.

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Graduating soon with a partner or children in Australia, or overseas? Book a consultation and we'll check which of the six situations applies before you lodge, because an invalid application can't be reviewed. Our permanent residency planning service maps what comes after the 485.