Australia has very high educational standards. Therefore, it is quite evident that many parents want to send their children to this country to study. Fortunately, Australia has defined the possibility for parents of children studying in Australia. They can come to Australia with their children under the Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) and support them during their studying years.
If you are applying for this visa, we will explain step by step what documents you need and how you can apply for this visa.
Student Guardian Visa 590 Assistance
If your child intends to travel to Australia on a student visa, you can accompany your child while studying. Therefore, the Student Guardian visa is a type of temporary visa, and its validity period is determined based on the duration of the student visa.
If you intend to obtain this visa, we recommend that you consider the following:
- Under this visa, you can accompany your child under 18 years old. However, in some exceptional cases, the child may be over 18 years old.
- You must have enough budget to support yourself and your child during your stay in Australia.
- You must be able to cover accommodation, welfare, and other necessary support.
- Under this visa, you can care for more than one child at a time.
- You can also study English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students (ELICOS) for less than 20 hours per week or enroll in any course that is less than three months.
- Remember that you are not allowed to work under this visa.
- As long as your Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) is valid, you can enter or leave Australia as much as you want. But keep in mind that you can not leave Australia without a student visa holder unless you have changed alternative welfare arrangements.
- You must be able to provide for yourself financially while you are in Australia.
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What are the requirements for obtaining this visa?
- Have a certain visa: You can be in or out of Australia when applying for a Student Guardian visa (subclass 590). However, the following visa holders cannot apply for this visa:
- Domestic Worker (Temporary) Diplomatic and Consular visa (subclass 426)
- Temporary Work (International Relations) visa (subclass 403)
- Diplomatic (Temporary) visa (subclass 995) – primary visa holder only.
- Transit visa (subclass 771)
- Visitor visa (subclass 600) (Sponsored Family stream or Approved Destination Status stream)
- Be a parent or a relative: You must:
- Be parents of the student visa holder
- Have the custody of the student visa holder
- Be a relative who comes to Australia on behalf of the parents and legal guardian to accompany the child
A relative is the student’s:
- Parent or step-parent
- Grandparent or step-grandparent
- Sibling or stepsibling
- Aunt, uncle, step-aunt, or step-uncle
- Niece, nephew or step-niece, or step-nephew
- Partner
- Child or stepchild
- Be able to provide for the student: You must be able to support the student during your stay in Australia.
- Enough money: You must provide proof that you can afford to live in Australia for yourself and your student.
- Welfare arrangements: You must make sufficient arrangements for the accommodation, and welfare of any member of your family who:
- is not coming with you to the country
- is under 18 years of age
- does not have a Student visa
We consider you have made adequate welfare arrangements for your children aged 6 to 18 years if they will live with:
- another parent or custodian
- a relative who is at least 21 years old
- Health insurance: You need to have proper health coverage. You do not have to worry about the cost of treatment in Australia if you get the right health insurance.
- Be a genuine applicant: You must prove that you intend to temporarily travel to Australia and only do things that are allowed on your visa during that time. The Australian Government will consider the following factors about your visa application:
- Your personal situation in your country
- Potential conditions you have in Australia
- Your immigration history
- All evidence that you intend to stay in Australia temporarily.
- Health requirement: You must be able to meet the health requirement for the Student Guardian visa (subclass 590).
- Character requirement: You must be able to meet the character requirement for this visa.
- Australian values statement: You must sign the Australian values statement and confirm that you respect the Australian way of life and comply with Australian law.
- No debt to the Australian Government: If you or your family members owe money to the Australian Government, you must pay it off.
- Not having had a visa canceled: Your visa application may not be approved if you have already canceled your visa or been refused while in Australia.
- Best interests of the child: Australia may not issue visas to persons under the age of 18 if it is not in the applicant’s best interest.
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How can you apply for a Student Guardian visa (subclass 590)?
Before you apply
Before applying, you must first prepare all your documents. It is interesting to know that you can apply for a visa with a migration agent’s help. Just remember to get help from a registered migration agent.
Among the documents you must provide are:
- Identification documents
- Form 157N – Student guardianship arrangements
- You should demonstrate that you have enough money to cover your costs in Australia. If someone else is going to support you, you must provide proof of the identity of your sponsors. To calculate the required amount, you can consider the following table.
| Living costs | 12-month living costs:
|
| Schooling costs | at least AUD8,296 per year per child |
| Travel Costs | $2000 per person |
- Health insurance
Apply for the visa
You must apply for a Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) at least six weeks before the start of your course.
To apply for the Student Guardian visa, you must apply online:
- You must first create an account.
- Upload your documents.
- Pay the visa application fee.
After sending the documents, you will be explained whether you need health examinations and biometrics or not. In some circumstances, you need to submit more documents. If you apply for a visa within Australia, you must ensure that your current visa is valid.
If you have made a mistake in completing your visa application form, you must complete Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers and notify the Australian Government as soon as possible.
Visa outcome
You will be notified in writing of the visa application decision. If your visa application is approved, you will receive the visa number, visa start date, and visa validity.
If the visa application is rejected, the reason will be explained to you, and you will be told whether you have the right to review the decision or not.
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How to apply for a visa extension?
You should know that, as a Student Guardian visa holder, you cannot apply for an extension of this visa if you need to stay in Australia longer.
How long can I stay in Australia under a Student Guardian visa (subclass 590)?
The validity of the student visa determines the validity of your visa.
How much do I have to pay to apply for this visa?
You, as the main applicant, must pay AUD620 as an application fee. If your family members also want to come to Australia with you, you will have to pay a fee for each of them. You may have to pay extra fees for each of the following:
- Health checks
- Police certificates
- Biometrics
What is the processing time for this visa?
90% of applications submitted for Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) are processed within eight months. However, processing time may also be longer in the following situations:
- You did not complete the form correctly.
- You have not submitted all the wanted documents.
- In some cases, the Australian Government may need more time to verify your information.
Can I travel to Australia with my family under a Student Guardian visa (subclass 590)?
If your family unit has not turned six years old, you cannot be granted the visa unless:
- There are compelling reasons.
- Giving the visa would remarkably benefit the relationship between the Australian Government and the Government of your country.
Your child must meet the same health requirements as you. He must also have appropriate health insurance that covers the entire length of his stay. Children over six can also come to Australia with you, but they must apply for a separate student visa.
How you got your Student Guardian visa (subclass 590): First-hand experience
If you have accompanied your child on this visa, you can tell us how to prepare documents, apply for a visa, and other details. Your experience is a great help for those who want to get this visa.
Let’s sum up…
In the previous sections, we learned how we could apply for a Student Guardian visa (subclass 590), what documents we need, and how long we have to wait to be notified of the visa application outcome. You can learn about other Australian visas as well as visas from other countries on the Visa Library website. You can put your questions in the below section so that our experts can answer them as soon as possible.
On the Visa Library website, you can learn about other Australian student visas like Australian student visas (subclass 500), as well as ways to immigrate to other countries.
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- Max-B.