Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
Included as a student’s dependant vs Your own visa
A partner included on a student’s visa holds the same visa with condition 8104, forty-eight hours of work a fortnight while the student’s course is in session for most courses, no study beyond three months without their own visa, and a stay that ends with the student’s; since October 2026 they must be included when the student applies, because a partner cannot be added after grant. A partner with their own route, a working holiday visa, a 482 from an employer, a student visa of their own, a skilled visa, holds a visa that does not depend on the relationship or the course and may carry full work rights. Include the partner where the family has no other route and the student’s funds cover both; take the own visa where one exists, and in either case decide before the student lodges.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Status
- Secondary applicant on the student’s visa, ending with it · An independent visa on its own terms
- Work
- 48 hours a fortnight in session for most courses; unlimited in breaks · As the visa provides; full for a 482, a partner visa or a working holiday visa
- Study
- Up to 3 months; a course needs a student visa · As the visa provides
- When to include
- At the student’s application only, since 2 October 2026 · Any time the person qualifies
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About the CPD →Side by side
| Included as a student’s dependant | Your own visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Secondary applicant on the student’s visa, ending with it | An independent visa on its own terms |
| Work | 48 hours a fortnight in session for most courses; unlimited in breaks | As the visa provides; full for a 482, a partner visa or a working holiday visa |
| Study | Up to 3 months; a course needs a student visa | As the visa provides |
| When to include | At the student’s application only, since 2 October 2026 | Any time the person qualifies |
| Charge | The dependant charge on the student application | The visa’s own charge |
| If the relationship ends | The dependant’s visa is liable to cancellation | Unaffected |
| Watch out | Funds for the dependant are added to the student’s evidence; schooling fees for children | A partner on a visitor visa cannot be added to the student’s visa later |
Charges are the current government application charges (from 1 July 2026, main applicant) — see the fee calculator for your family's total. Checked 30 October 2026.
The honest verdict
A partner included on a student’s visa holds the same visa with condition 8104, forty-eight hours of work a fortnight while the student’s course is in session for most courses, no study beyond three months without their own visa, and a stay that ends with the student’s; since October 2026 they must be included when the student applies, because a partner cannot be added after grant. A partner with their own route, a working holiday visa, a 482 from an employer, a student visa of their own, a skilled visa, holds a visa that does not depend on the relationship or the course and may carry full work rights. Include the partner where the family has no other route and the student’s funds cover both; take the own visa where one exists, and in either case decide before the student lodges.
Which side of that line you fall on depends on facts a table cannot hold — your age, score, occupation's lists, and what evidence you can actually assemble. That is consultation territory, not guesswork territory.
More head-to-heads: 482 vs 494 · 190 vs 491 · 189 vs 190 · 482 vs 186
General information only, not migration advice. Settings shown are the general rules; exemptions and stream variations exist. Migration advice is provided by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) after a paid consultation under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct.
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Questions we get asked first
Included as a student’s dependant or Your own visa — which is better?
A partner included on a student’s visa holds the same visa with condition 8104, forty-eight hours of work a fortnight while the student’s course is in session for most courses, no study beyond three months without their own visa, and a stay that ends with the student’s; since October 2026 they must be included when the student applies, because a partner cannot be added after grant. A partner with their own route, a working holiday visa, a 482 from an employer, a student visa of their own, a skilled visa, holds a visa that does not depend on the relationship or the course and may carry full work rights. Include the partner where the family has no other route and the student’s funds cover both; take the own visa where one exists, and in either case decide before the student lodges.
What is the main difference between the Included as a student’s dependant and the Your own visa?
Status: Included as a student’s dependant — Secondary applicant on the student’s visa, ending with it; Your own visa — An independent visa on its own terms. Work: Included as a student’s dependant — 48 hours a fortnight in session for most courses; unlimited in breaks; Your own visa — As the visa provides; full for a 482, a partner visa or a working holiday visa. Study: Included as a student’s dependant — Up to 3 months; a course needs a student visa; Your own visa — As the visa provides.
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