Can my 24-year-old child apply for subclass 802 in 2026 and what counts as full-time study?
Yes — a 24-year-old can apply for the Child visa (subclass 802), but only through the study branch, and only if they are still under 25 and are a full-time student both when the application is lodged and when it is decided. That is the position set out on the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Child visa (Subclass 802) official page, as of the August 2026 official page. Turning 24 does not close the door; turning 25 generally does, unless the applicant qualifies on the disability pathway instead.
What is the age limit for subclass 802?
The official page lists three age pathways. The child must be either:
- under 18 years old, or
- over 18 and under 25 years and studying full time, or
- over 18 years with a disability.
A 24-year-old sits in the middle bracket, so the study conditions are what decide the case. The same bracket also carries two other conditions: the applicant can't work full time, and must be financially dependent on their parent more than on any other person. The Migration Regulations 1994 express the age limit as clause 802.212(1)(b), requiring that the applicant "has not turned 25".
Does my child need to be studying at the time of application and at the time of decision?
Yes, at both points. The official page states that an applicant over 18 and under 25 "must be a full-time student when they apply and when the visa application is decided". This is a continuing condition rather than a one-day snapshot, so a child who enrols to lodge the application and then stops attending is exposed at the decision stage.
The regulations mirror this in clause 802.221(2): where the applicant had turned 18 at the time of application, they must continue to satisfy the dependency and age criteria — with the concession that ceasing to satisfy the age criterion only because they have turned 25 does not defeat the application — and must continue to satisfy clause 802.214, the adult-applicant conditions covering study, work and relationship history. In practical terms, a 24-year-old who turns 25 while the application is pending is not automatically excluded, but the full-time study, no-full-time-work and never-married conditions still have to hold up at the decision.
What counts as full-time study?
The official page defines it in two parts. The child is a full-time student if they are:
- enrolled in a full-time course that leads to a professional, trade or vocational qualification, and
- attending classes.
Both halves matter. Enrolment alone is not enough — attendance is a separate stated requirement — and a course that does not lead to a professional, trade or vocational qualification does not meet the first half. The adult-applicant clause 802.214(c) in the Migration Regulations 1994 uses the same framing: a full-time course of study leading to the award of a professional, trade or vocational qualification.
| Element | What the requirement turns on |
|---|---|
| Enrolment | Full-time enrolment, not part-time or casual study |
| Course outcome | Leads to a professional, trade or vocational qualification |
| Attendance | Actually attending classes, not just holding a place |
| Continuity | Study since turning 18, or started within 6 months (or a reasonable time) of finishing school |
| Work | Not engaged in full-time work |
Guidance summaries of the department's policy manual describe full-time study as at least equivalent to a TAFE certificate-level course and treat a full-time load as normally 75% or more of the standard load, with full-time work understood as roughly 35 or more paid hours a week. Those figures come from policy guidance rather than the visa eligibility page itself, so confirm them against the department's current published guidance before relying on them.
When must the study have started, and what happens with a gap?
The official page says the child should have started study since turning 18 years of age, or within 6 months (or a reasonable time) of finishing school. Any gap of more than 6 months between the final year of school and the start of further studies must be explained.
Suppose an applicant finished Year 12 in November and began a full-time vocational course the following February: that sits within the expected window. Suppose instead they finished school and did not begin any course for eight or nine months: the gap is over six months and needs an explanation on the record. The "reasonable time" wording is doing the work in the second scenario — it is an assessment of the individual explanation, not a fixed extension.
What else does a 24-year-old applicant have to show?
The study question does not sit alone. On the official page, an applicant over 18 and under 25 must also:
- not work full time;
- be financially dependent on their parent more than on any other person;
- not be married or in a de facto relationship, not be engaged, and — because they are over 18 — never have been married or had a de facto partner;
- have a sponsor, being an eligible parent or that parent's spouse or de facto partner, with the sponsorship approved before the visa can be granted;
- meet the health requirement and, being over 16, the character requirement;
- have read or had explained the Life in Australia booklet and signed the Australian Values Statement.
Because subclass 802 is an onshore visa, the applicant must also be in Australia both when the application is made and when the decision is made. This overview is general information about how the criteria are framed; whether a particular applicant's enrolment, attendance history and dependency evidence satisfy them turns on that person's own documents and on the requirements in force when the case is decided, so it is not a substitute for advice on an individual case.
What if study is not possible?
If the child is 18 or over and cannot meet the study branch, the other adult pathway on the official page is the disability one. There, the child must have totally or partially lost their bodily or mental functions, can't work full time, and must be financially dependent on their parent. The clause 802.212 framework also reflects this: the age limit is disapplied where the applicant is a dependent child within the incapacitated-for-work limb of the definition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my child apply after turning 24 if they are about to turn 25?
They can apply while they are still under 25, since the criterion is having not turned 25. The regulations also provide that ceasing to meet the age criterion only because of turning 25 does not defeat an application lodged when the applicant was over 18, provided the study, work and relationship conditions keep being met at the decision.
Does a university degree count as full-time study?
A degree that is studied full time and leads to a professional qualification fits the stated test. What matters is not the institution's name but that the course is full time, leads to a professional, trade or vocational qualification, and that the applicant is attending classes.
Does a short hobby or leisure course count?
No. The requirement is a full-time course leading to a professional, trade or vocational qualification, together with attendance. A short course taken for interest rather than as a pathway to such a qualification does not meet that description.
My child finished school more than six months ago and has not started studying. Is that fatal?
Not automatically, but the official page requires any gap of more than six months between the final year of school and the start of further studies to be explained. "Reasonable time" is assessed on the explanation given, so the gap has to be accounted for in the application rather than left standing.
Can my child work while holding or applying for this visa?
They cannot work full time. Part-time or unpaid work is not the same thing under the stated criteria, but the applicant must still satisfy the separate full-time study requirement and the requirement to be financially dependent on their parent more than any other person.
Does subclass 802 require the applicant to be inside Australia?
Yes. The subclass 802 page lists being in Australia when the application is made and when the decision is made among the requirements, which is what distinguishes this onshore visa from the offshore child visa pathway.