Australian visa conditions 8517 and 8518: education arrangements for dependants (2026)
If your visa carries condition 8517, you must maintain adequate arrangements for the education of any school-age dependant of yours who is in Australia for more than three months as the holder of a student visa (as a person who has satisfied the secondary criteria). That is the requirement exactly as it is written in Schedule 8 of the Migration Regulations 1994, published on the Australian Federal Register of Legislation, whose official text is the basis for this article as of September 2026.
Condition 8518 is a different obligation: it concerns the education of the visa holder, not of a child. Both conditions are short, and both use the same standard — "adequate arrangements" must be maintained, meaning the obligation is ongoing rather than a one-off check at the border. This article is general information about how the two conditions are framed in law; it is not personalised advice, and individual cases should be checked against the current official text and, where it matters, with a qualified professional.
What does condition 8517 actually require?
Condition 8517 has three moving parts, and it is worth separating them because people tend to merge them:
- A school-age dependant of the visa holder.
- That dependant is in Australia for more than 3 months, as the holder of a student visa (as a person who has satisfied the secondary criteria).
- The holder must maintain adequate arrangements for that child's education.
The obligation sits on the visa holder, not on the child. It is phrased as a continuing duty: arrangements must be maintained, so an arrangement that lapses part-way through the stay does not satisfy the condition merely because it existed at some earlier point.
The Schedule 8 text uses "school age" without defining an age range inside the condition itself. Which ages count in a given case therefore has to be read together with the rest of the framework that applies to the visa, and the officially published position governs.
When does the three-month threshold bite?
The wording ties the obligation to a dependant who is in Australia for more than three months in the capacity described in the condition. A stay at or under that length is not what the condition describes; a stay beyond it is. The regulation text does not itself elaborate on how that period is counted, so treat any finer point as something to confirm against the current official materials rather than as settled here.
A hypothetical shows how the pieces fit. Suppose a visa holder's child enters Australia as a dependant and stays five months. Under the terms of condition 8517 as written, an adequate education arrangement has to be in place and kept in place for that child, because the stay runs past the three-month point described in the condition. If the same child were in Australia for a short visit within that three-month window, the condition's trigger, as drafted, is not met on the length-of-stay element alone.
What does condition 8518 require, and how is it different?
Condition 8518 states that adequate arrangements must be maintained for the education of the holder while he or she is in Australia. There is no dependant, no three-month threshold and no reference to a student visa in the text; the subject is the visa holder's own education, and the duty runs for as long as the holder is in Australia.
| Condition 8517 | Condition 8518 | |
|---|---|---|
| Whose education | Any school-age dependant of the holder | The visa holder |
| When it applies | Dependant in Australia for more than 3 months as the holder of a student visa (secondary criteria) | While the holder is in Australia |
| Standard | Adequate arrangements maintained | Adequate arrangements maintained |
| Source | Migration Regulations 1994 Schedule 8 | Migration Regulations 1994 Schedule 8 |
The two conditions often travel together in discussion because they share vocabulary, but they protect different things: one is about a child's schooling, the other about the holder's own.
Which visas carry these conditions?
Not every Australian visa does. The official note attached to both conditions in Schedule 8 says that whether a visa of a particular class may be made subject to the condition depends on the relevant provision in Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994. In other words, the condition's text tells you what it demands; Schedule 2 tells you whether it was attached to the visa in question.
That distinction matters practically. Reading condition 8517 tells you nothing about whether your visa carries it. The answer comes from the Schedule 2 provision for that visa class and from the conditions recorded on the grant itself.
What happens if the condition is not met?
The official note to both conditions points to the Migration Act 1958, sections 41 and 116 to 119, for cancellation for breaches of conditions. That is the mechanism the legislation itself cross-references, and it is the reason these short sentences carry weight despite their length: breach of a visa condition is dealt with under the cancellation provisions of the Act.
Nothing in the Schedule 8 text sets out what evidence must be produced or how a breach is assessed, so this article does not describe a procedure that the source does not contain.
How should a family think about compliance?
Two habits follow directly from the wording. First, treat the arrangement as something that has to exist for the whole period the condition applies, not as paperwork completed at the start. Second, keep in mind that 8517 and 8518 are separate questions — satisfying one says nothing about the other if both were attached to the visa.
Beyond that, the honest answer is that the conditions are drafted in general language. "Adequate arrangements" is not spelled out in the Schedule 8 text, so how it is satisfied in a particular case is a matter for the official materials and any relevant Schedule 2 provision, read as they stand at the time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does condition 8517 apply to every Australian visa?
No. The official note to the condition states that whether a visa of a particular class may be made subject to it depends on the relevant provision in Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994. The condition applies only where it has actually been attached to the visa.
Is condition 8518 about my children?
No. Condition 8518 requires adequate arrangements to be maintained for the education of the visa holder while the holder is in Australia. Education of school-age dependants is the subject of condition 8517, which is a separate condition with a three-month element.
What does "more than 3 months" mean in condition 8517?
The condition refers to a school-age dependant who is in Australia for more than three months as the holder of a student visa (as a person who has satisfied the secondary criteria). The Schedule 8 text does not elaborate on how that period is counted, so the finer details should be read from the current official position.
What counts as "adequate arrangements" for a child's education?
The regulation sets the standard — adequate arrangements, maintained — without defining what satisfies it in the condition text. Because the wording is general, whether a particular arrangement is adequate has to be assessed against the official materials that apply to the visa at the time.
What if the education arrangement stops part-way through the stay?
The condition is worded as a duty to maintain arrangements, so an arrangement that ends while the condition still applies is not consistent with the wording. Breach of a visa condition is directed to the cancellation provisions of the Migration Act 1958, sections 41 and 116 to 119, under the note attached to the condition.
How can I tell whether my own visa has condition 8517 or 8518?
The conditions recorded on the visa grant are the starting point, and the official note explains that attachment depends on the relevant Schedule 2 provision for that visa class. This article is general information only and does not replace checking the current official record for a specific case.