immiqa.com
Not a registered migration agent. General information only — not immigration advice.

How to Apply for the Australia Student Guardian Visa (Subclass 590) in 2026

Plain-language guide · general information, not immigration advice

You apply for the Student Guardian visa (Subclass 590) online through ImmiAccount, and the Australian Department of Home Affairs asks you to lodge it at the same time as the student's application. There is no paper route: you log in or create an ImmiAccount, attach your documents, and pay the visa application charge — the Department states it will not process your application until you pay the fee. If you are in Australia when you lodge, you must hold an eligible substantive visa, or fall within the 28-day rule. These steps come from the Department of Home Affairs "Student Guardian visa (Subclass 590)" official page, as of August 2026.

One caveat before the detail: this is general information about published requirements, not personalised professional advice, and government forms, charges and criteria change over time — confirm anything that affects your own lodgement against the Department's current page or with a qualified professional.

Who can apply as a student guardian?

You must be the parent of the student visa holder, a person who has custody of the student, or a relative of the student who is aged 21 or over and nominated in writing by a parent or custodian. For this visa, "relative" covers a parent or step-parent, grandparent or step-grandparent, sibling or stepsibling, aunt, uncle, step-aunt or step-uncle, niece, nephew, step-niece or step-nephew, partner, or child or stepchild.

You must be coming to Australia to provide care and support for a student visa holder who is under 18, or who is 18 or over and needs care and support because of exceptional circumstances. You also need to be able to provide accommodation, general welfare and support. With this visa you can care for more than one student, study an English Language Intensive Course for Overseas Students (ELICOS) for under 20 hours a week, or do other study or training for no more than three months. You cannot work.

Do I have to lodge at the same time as the student?

The Department's instruction is that you should apply at the same time as the student. That sequencing matters because the two applications are assessed against the same period of stay: the Department says it usually sets your visa end date by reference to the length of the student visa holder's stay or the date that student turns 18.

Lodging together also keeps the welfare side consistent. Once you hold the visa, you cannot leave Australia without the student visa holder unless you have made alternative welfare arrangements — a limit that applies both while you hold the visa and, per the Department's guidance, while the application is being processed.

Can I apply if I am already in Australia?

You can be in or outside Australia when you apply and when the decision is made. If you apply in Australia, you must hold a substantive visa that is not one of the excluded types:

If you do not hold an eligible substantive visa, the 28-day rule may still let you apply: you can lodge within 28 days of holding a Student visa, a Special Purpose visa, or a dependent Diplomatic (temporary) visa, or within 28 days of being notified by the Tribunal that your visa cancellation has been set aside.

What documents does the application need?

Identity evidence comes first. You must provide the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, and issue and expiry dates; a national identity card if you have one; and proof of any change of name. Anything not in English must be translated, and you provide both the translation and the original-language document. The Department warns that if you cannot prove your identity it will refuse the application, it might not grant you another visa for 10 years, and it might not grant visas to family members listed on your application for 10 years.

The guardianship-specific document is Form 157N — Student guardianship arrangements. Your application will not be valid without a completed Form 157N, so this is the one item worth checking before you submit.

You also need:

If you include dependants under 6, you need a statement of compelling and compassionate circumstances or written support from your home government or the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, plus birth certificates or the family book showing both parents, and adoption papers if applicable. Children under 6 cannot be added after you submit.

How much money do I need to show?

You must show genuine access to funds for yourself, accompanying family members, and in most cases the student visa holder. The funds need to cover travel costs, 12 months of course fees for the student visa holder(s), 12 months of living costs for you, the student and accompanying family, and school fees for school-age children who come with you — with pro rata amounts where the stay is shorter. To pro rata, the official page says to divide the annual cost by 365 and multiply by the number of days you intend to stay.

Item Figure on the official page
12-month living costs for you AUD 29,710
12-month living costs per accompanying child AUD 4,449
Schooling costs per child under 6 at least AUD 13,502 per year, per child
Travel costs about AUD 2,000 per person (guide only)
Alternative: annual income of a non-travelling spouse or de facto partner AUD 102,500 or more in the 12 months before you apply

Acceptable evidence includes money deposits held in a financial institution, loans from a financial institution and/or government, or a scholarship or financial support. If someone else funds you, show your relationship with them and their identity documents; if you rely on deposits, explain their source. For the annual income route, the Department requires official government documents such as tax assessments less than 12 months old, and states it will not accept bank statements or direct evidence from an employer.

What does the online lodgement actually involve?

Create or log in to ImmiAccount, complete the Subclass 590 application, attach your documents, and pay the visa application charge. The official page does not state a fixed visa fee amount for the main applicant; it directs you to the Visa Pricing Estimator to work out what your visa will cost, and notes a charge for each family member who applies with you, plus possible extra costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics. A lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application, based on a valid passport from a listed country, and family members are eligible based on the primary applicant's passport.

Two form-based choices sit alongside lodgement: Form 956A to appoint someone to receive correspondence, and Form 956 to appoint someone to provide immigration assistance. Only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person can be appointed to give immigration assistance for a fee, though you can appoint anyone to receive documents. Both forms are uploaded to ImmiAccount.

What happens after I apply?

The Department confirms receipt, and you can see in ImmiAccount whether it has asked for more information. It asks you not to call if the application is within standard processing times, since it cannot give progress updates. Use the visa processing time guide tool for an indication of times for recently decided applications; it is a guide only. Processing may take longer if the form is filled in incorrectly, documents are missing, more information is needed, or verification takes time. If the correct charge is not paid, the Department says it cannot process the application and will notify you and, if necessary, return it.

If you applied in Australia and were granted a Bridging visa A (BVA), it starts when your current visa expires, letting you stay lawfully while the application is decided — but the BVA has no right of return and cancels on departure, so travelling ends it. If you did not attach everything, add documents as soon as possible in ImmiAccount. If you find a mistake on the application, tell the Department using Form 1023; not correcting it can lead to refusal.

What does the outcome look like?

A written decision tells you the visa grant number, the start date and your visa conditions if granted, or the reasons for refusal and whether you have a right to review if refused. The application fee is not refunded if the application is refused. The visa is linked digitally to your passport rather than as a label, you can travel in and out as often as you like while it is valid, and time outside Australia does not extend it. To stay longer, you apply for a further Student Guardian visa.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a paper application for Subclass 590?

No. The Department states you must apply for this visa online, using ImmiAccount to complete the form, attach documents and pay. There is no paper option set out on the official page.

Can I lodge my guardian application before the student's?

The official guidance is that you should apply at the same time as the student. Lodging separately is not described as the intended path, and the student's stay and age are what usually determine how long your visa runs.

Will the Department start assessing my application before I pay?

No. The Department says it will not process your application until you pay the fee, and that it cannot process it at all if the correct visa application charge is not paid — it will notify you and may return the application.

I am in Australia on a Visitor visa. Can I apply there?

Not on that visa. Visitor visa (subclass 600) is on the list of substantive visas that bar an in-Australia application, along with subclass 485, 601, 602, 651, 771, 988 and others. Without an eligible substantive visa, the 28-day rule may apply instead.

Is Form 157N really mandatory?

Yes. The official page states your application will not be valid if you do not provide a completed Form 157N — Student guardianship arrangements. An invalid application is not the same as a weak one; it stops the process at the threshold.

Can I bring a child under 6 with me?

Only in narrow cases. The Department will not grant the visa if any member of the family unit is under 6 unless there are compelling and compassionate reasons, or granting it would significantly benefit Australia's relationship with another government. If granted, that child's visa lasts only until their 6th birthday.

Do I need to stay in Australia while the application is decided?

No. You can be outside Australia when the decision is made, and you do not have to tell the Department if you travel. But if you leave, make sure you hold a valid visa to return, and note that a Bridging visa A gives no right of return.

References