Parent or Relative of a Student in Australia?
Under the new Simplified Student Visa Framework, children as young as 6 years old are eligible to apply for a student visa to study in Primary school in Australia.
January and February marks the beginning of Autumn school sessions in Australia. The question facing parents or relatives of prospective student visa applicants under 18 years old is which visa allows them to accompany the child for the duration of studies in Australia.
The good news is that if the student visa holder is younger than 18 years of age, the Student Guardian Visa (subclass 590) allows the applicant to stay in Australia as the guardian of that student.
To be eligible:
You must be a parent or person who has custody of the student
You must be a relative who is 21 years or older and has been nominated in writing by a parent or someone who has custody of the student
You cannot bring family members younger than 6 years of age
You must be able to provide accommodation, general welfare and other support to the student
In addition:
You must meet health and character requirements
The funds shown by you in the visa application must be available for use to financially support you during your intended period in Australia.
You must have adequate health insurance for you and any dependants coming with you
The visa allows you to study an English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students (ELICOS) for less than 20 hours per week and study another course for up to three months. However, you cannot work while you are on the Student Guardian visa.
If you are in a situation where you need to accompany a student under 18 years old to study in Australia, please contact Southern Cross Alliance for further information on the Student Guardian (subclass 590) visa.
