Student Guardian (Subclass 590)

Visa Eligibility

• You can be in or outside Australia when you apply for the visa and when DOHA decides on your application. You can apply in Australia if you hold a substantive visa except for one of these:
  • Domestic Worker (Temporary) Diplomatic and Consular visa (subclass 426)
  • Temporary Work (International Relations) visa (subclass 403) in the Domestic Worker (Diplomatic or consular) stream
  • Diplomatic (Temporary) visa (subclass 995) – primary visa holder only. A family member of a Diplomatic (Temporary) visa (subclass 995) can apply for a student visa in Australia.
  • Transit visa (subclass 771)
  • Visitor visa (subclass 600) in the Sponsored Family stream or the Approved Destination Status stream
• You must be the parent of the student visa holder, OR a person who has custody of the student, OR a relative of the student, aged 21 years or older, nominated in writing by a parent or person who has custody of the student. For this visa, a relative is the student’s: parent or step-parent; grandparent or step-grandparent; sibling or step siblings; aunt, uncle, step-aunt or step-uncle; niece, nephew or step-niece or step-nephew; partner; child or stepchild.
• With this visa, you will provide care and support for: a student visa holder who is under 18 years of age OR a student visa holder who is 18 years of age or older and needs care and support due to exceptional circumstances.
• You must be able to provide accommodation, general welfare and support to the student.
• You must have enough money to pay for your stay in Australia for meeting the costs and expenses of yourself, your accompanying family members and in most cases, the student visa holder. To see how much money you need to have, see general notes section.
• You must make adequate arrangements for the accommodation, support and welfare of any member of your family who: is not coming with you to Australia AND is under 18 years of age AND does not have a Student visa. You have made adequate welfare arrangements for your children aged 6 to 18 years if they will be living with: another parent or custodian OR a relative who is at least 21 years old.
• You must be a genuine temporary entrant and intend to stay in Australia temporarily. See GTE section below for details.
• If any member of your family unit has not turned 6, you cannot be granted the visa unless: there are compelling and compassionate reasons OR granting the visa would significantly benefit the relationship between the Australian Government and the government of another country.
• You and the members of your family must maintain adequate health insurance for the entire duration of your stay in Australia. You must also ensure you don’t enter Australia before your OSHC begins, and maintain your OSHC until you leave Australia.
• Meet all the health and character requirements
• Must not have any debt to pay to the Australian government.
• If you are 18 years of age or older, you must: have read, or had explained to you, the Life in Australia booklet AND sign an Australian Values Statement that confirms you will respect the Australian way of life and obey Australian laws.
• With under 18 applicants, it must be in the best interest of them.

Note: If you have had a visa cancelled or previous application refused, you may not be granted a visa.

Visa Benefits

• Come to Australia to provide care and support for a student visa holder who is under 18 years of age (or over 18 in exceptional circumstances).

• care for more than one student

• study an English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students (ELICOS) for less than 20 hours per week, or any other study or training for no more than three months

Financial Obligations

You must provide evidence of your financial capacity to support yourself, the student visa holder(s) and any children who come to Australia with you. You must prove that you have genuine access to the money required to cover the cost of your stay in Australia.

You must have enough money to pay for:

• Travel for you and the student visa holder(s)
• 12 months of course fees for the student visa holder(s)
• 12 months specified annual living costs for you
• 12 months of living costs for the student visa holder(s) and accompanying family members
• school fees for school-age children who accompany you

Annual Income

Alternatively, you can prove that your spouse or de facto partner (who is not travelling to Australia) will support you and has an annual income of AUD72,592 or more in the 12 months immediately before you apply.

You can provide evidence in the form of official government documents of personal income such as tax assessments less than 12 months old. Bank statements or direct evidence from an employer is not accepted.

Living Costs

For this visa, 12-month living costs are set at:

• for students or guardians – AUD21,041
• for a child coming with you – AUD3,152

Schooling Costs

If you are including school-age children (under six years) in your application, add schooling costs of at least AUD8,296 per year per child.

Genuine Temporary Entrant Requirement

• Student Guardian applicants must provide evidence that they are a genuine temporary entrant (GTE). Show proof that you are staying in Australia temporarily.
• You must provide a personal statement addressing the GTE requirement at the time of your visa lodgment. It is recommended that you include evidence for the information you provide in your written statement. Generic statements unsupported by evidence will not be weighed heavily in the GTE assessment.
• In your written statement, provide evidence or information about circumstances in your home country, ties to your home country or country of residence and incentive to return. This could include:
  • evidence of immediate family members in your home country
  • your visa or residence status in your home country and your right to return
  • proof of property or other significant assets in your home country
  • a return air ticket
  • a letter from your employer confirming your leave

General Notes

• You cannot work while on this visa.
• You can stay in Australia by applying for a further Student Guardian visa.
• You can travel outside Australia and return as many times as you want while the visa is valid. But you can’t leave Australia without the student visa holder unless you have made alternative welfare arrangements. 

There are two ways you can make alternative welfare arrangements:

• Nominate an alternative student guardian who must be, except in limited circumstances, a parent or relative aged 21 years or over. To do this, use Form 157N Nomination of a student guardian. This form outlines documentation you need to provide when nominating a student guardian. Send this form, the education provider’s approval (in a letter or email) and the required documentation to your nearest office before you leave Australia.
• The student’s education provider can take responsibility for the student’s welfare by issuing a Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation and Welfare (CAAW) letter which will state the start and end dates for approval of welfare arrangements.