How to apply for Student dependant Visa in Australia

A student visa would usually allow you to bring close family members as dependents on your student visa.  This is defined as:

·         A spouse or partner (including same sex partners) whom you have been living with for 12 months.

·         You, or your partner's children, under 18 or who are still in continuous education (i.e. Studying A-levels).

Please note that the work rights granted for the dependent partner will depend on the course of study of the student:

·         If the student is studying a bachelor degree, the dependent partner can work up to 40 hours per fortnight.

·         If the student is studying a masters degree (coursework or research) or a doctorate degree the partner will have full and unlimited work rights.

The student must declare all family members in his/her application, even if they do not plan to travel with him/her to Australia. If he/she does not declare all family members in his/her application, they will not be eligible to apply for a dependent visa once the student has arrived in Australia.

Student dependent visa checklist

 From the Applicant(s):

1. Duly completed and signed Form 157A and a recent passport size photograph of each applicant – form 157A is available on the website ‘www.immi.gov.au/allforms/’. Please download the most recent version of the form before completing

2. Visa application charge (VAC) which must be paid at the time of lodging the visa application,

The Australian High Commission accepts payment of VACs in your local currency. Payment must be made in cash or by bank guaranteed cheques made payable to 'Australian High Commission'. Other methods of payments (eg company/personal cheques and bank transfers) cannot be accepted.
Payments using credit cards are processed in Australian Dollars (AUD) only (Mastercard, Visa, AMEX, Diners, JCB).

Note: If paying by credit card in Australian Dollars you may incur banking and currency conversion fees and you accept the risk associated with any currency fluctuations.

Please Note: The Visa Application Charge is for the processing of the application and must be paid regardless of the application outcome. There are only limited circumstances in which refunds can be given.

3. A certified copy of the applicant’s birth certificate

4. A certified copy of the applicant’s children's birth certificates if included on the application

5. A certified copy of the applicant’s marriage certificate

6. A clear and legible plain photocopy of the bio data page of the applicant’s passport and of all dependents (children) included in the application

Note: there is no requirement to submit the original of the passport

7. A health examination must be undertaken with a panel doctor and radiologist by all applicants included in the application using medical forms 26 and 160. Applicants are required to undergo their health examination ONLY with those doctors and radiologists indicated on the approved list of doctors and radiologists.

The medical reports once completed will be returned to this office together with the x-ray plate, UNOPENED by the panel doctor. 

Note: A radiological examination is required for applicants aged 11 years and over.

Medical forms 26 and 160 and a list of panel doctors and radiologists are available on the website ‘www.immi.gov.au’.

8. Proof of funds/support:

(a) If sponsored, the applicant must provide a written statement from his-her sponsor/s indicating that he/she will be responsible for providing the applicant(s) with financial support for the whole duration of the proposed stay in Australia.

The applicant/sponsor must also provide with evidence that he/she has sufficient funds of his/her own or access to sufficient funds to cover travel costs, schooling costs, Overseas Student Health Cover and living expenses for the proposed stay. THIS SHOULD BE IN THE FORM OF READY CASH IN HAND (such as bank accounts or available loan amounts in the applicant or sponsor’s name). The funds can also be in Australian dollars or a foreign currency equivalent.

Note: living expenses (as per calculations below) are as follows:

- Applicant: Aud 6,515 per year
- Applicant’s first child: Aud 3,720 per year
- Applicant’s every other child/children: Aud 2,790 per year

Travel costs and schooling costs are as follows:

- Travel costs per person: Aud 2,000
- Schooling costs per year: Aud 8,000

Applicants are also required to provide with evidence that funds will be available to them to meet the costs of stay and schooling for the whole duration of the proposed stay.

Note: school-age children are between 5 and 17 years of age

9. Evidence that the applicant and dependents have paid for the Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the whole duration of the proposed stay in Australia – a letter from the insurance company in Australia confirming same must be submitted
ORIGINAL OF THIS DOCUMENT TO BE SUBMITTED – COPY/PHOTOCOPY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!

10. If the dependents included on the application are of school age (aged between 5 and 17 years), evidence of enrolment at school in Australia must be provided for them – please provide a letter of enrolment from the institution where they will be studying in Australia made on the institution’s letterhead and duly signed by the school’s Principal
ORIGINAL OF THIS DOCUMENT TO BE SUBMITTED – COPY/PHOTOCOPY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED

11. For applicants who were married after their sponsor (spouse) was granted a Student visa must provide the following information:

- A written statement from the applicant detailing the history of his/her relationship with his/her spouse (eg how they first met, how the relationship developed, how they maintain contact with each other and what made them decide to get married, etc)

- A written statement from the applicant’s spouse detailing the history of their relationship (eg how they first met, how the relationship developed, how they maintain contact with each other and what made them decide to get married, etc)

- 4 Sworn Affidavits made at the Supreme Court of Mauritius by the following persons confirming their personal knowledge of the applicant’s relationship with his/her spouse:
- Applicant’s spouse’s father or mother
- Applicant’s spouse’s sister/brother or uncle/aunt
- Applicant’s father or mother
- Applicant’s sister/brother or uncle/aunt

- Wedding photos (a maximum of 6 photos only)
Note: DVDs and USB pen drives will not be accepted

- Evidence of contact kept/maintained between the applicant and his/her spouse spouse from the time that the applicant’s spouse first entered Australia on a Student visa to the date they got married (eg letters written, e-mail message sent/received and others)

12. De facto Partners: must provide with evidence that the relationship between them has existed for at least 12 months IMMEDIATELY before the date of lodgement of the application (evidence of cohabitation, evidence of joint ownership of assets, and others)
From the applicant’s sponsor (spouse and parents):

1. A Form 919 (Student Dependent Nomination) which must be completed and signed by the sponsor – Form 919 is available on the website ‘www.immi.gov.au’- please download the most recent version of the form before completing

2. A certified copy of the sponsor’s birth certificate

3. A certified copy of the sponsor’s passport

4. A certified copy of the sponsor’s Student visa

5. A copy of the sponsor’s valid e-COE

6. Transcript of results from the sponsor for part/all of the course of study undertaken and completed

7. An ORIGINAL letter from the institution with whom the sponsor is enrolled in Australia stating

• The course being studied
• The duration of that course and anticipated completion date
• Whether the sponsor is satisfying course requirements
• Commenting on the sponsor’s attendance and performance

A COPY/PHOTOCOPY OF THE ABOVE LETTER WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!

Translating your documents

Original documents in languages other than English should be accompanied by an English translation. The English translations must be officially certified translations and should be endorsed by the translator with their full name, address, telephone number, and details of their qualifications and experience in the language being translated.

Certified copies

Certified copies are authorised or stamped as true copies of the original by a person authorised to do so under the law of the country that you are in.

People authorised to certify copies in Australia include (but are not limited to):
• Solicitors
• Lawyers
• Barristers
• Registered migration agents

REQUESTING A VISA LABEL

• Australia does not require travellers to have a label in their passport, however, clients are still provided with the option of requesting one if it is necessary for transit or exit purposes. It is the traveller’s responsibility to confirm other countries’ transit or exit requirements before travel to Australia.
• From 24 November 2012, if travelers still need or request a label they will need to pay a fee for it. This cost for a visa label is called the Visa Evidence Charge (VEC). Travelers can only request and pay for a visa label if they have a current Australian visa. Regardless of when a visa application was lodged or granted, anyone who requests a visa label after 24 November 2012 will be charged. 
• The charge for a visa label is AUD70, equivalent to Mauritian rupees 2,100. 
The Australian High Commission accepts payment of VEC in Mauritian rupees. Payment must be made in cash or by bank guaranteed cheques made payable to 'Australian High Commission'. Other methods of payments (eg company/personal cheques and bank transfers) cannot be accepted.
Payments using credit cards are processed in Australian Dollars (AUD) only (Mastercard, Visa, AMEX, Diners, JCB).

Note: If paying by credit card in Australian Dollars you may incur banking and currency conversion fees and you accept the risk associated with any currency fluctuations.
• Request for a visa label can be made as follows:
By making a verbal request at the visa counter and submitting the original of the passport and making payment of the VEC 
By submitting a duly completed and signed Form 1405and the original of the passport and making payment of the VEC
Note: Form 1405 'Visa Label Request Form' must be downloaded from the website 'http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/' . 
The Visa Evidencing process may take up to 7 working days.