Sending your child to an Australian high school — the under-18 student visa 500 and the 590 guardian visa for parents

Sending a child to Australia for high school is twice the decision that university study is: the child is under 18, which means that beyond schools and money, Australian law demands a clear answer to the question “who is responsible for looking after this child?”.

The short answer: a student under 18 applying for the student visa 500 must have a welfare arrangement accepted by the Department — and there are exactly three options: living with a parent who comes on a subclass 590 visa, living with an approved relative, or letting the school arrange welfare through a CAAW. Each option carries a very different financial and practical equation. This article walks through each one and the numbers families need to face squarely.

Welfare arrangements — three options, and no fourth

For students under 18, Home Affairs requires one of three arrangements:

1. Living with a parent — via the subclass 590 (Student Guardian) visa. A parent (or legal guardian) applies for the 590 to live in Australia with the child. This is the highest-control option — and the most expensive, as analysed below.

2. Living with an approved relative. The student may live with an eligible relative in Australia (generally over 21 and meeting character requirements), declared through the appropriate form (Form 157N) for the Department’s consideration — check the current criteria on the Department’s site at lodgement.

3. CAAW — the school takes responsibility. The school issues a Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation and Welfare: the school arranges accommodation (typically a school-vetted homestay) and supervises welfare. This is the common choice when the family cannot accompany the child — homestay costs add to tuition, but it is far cheaper than an adult stopping work for years.

The 590 Student Guardian visa — read carefully before choosing

The 590 allows a parent to live in Australia to care for a child under 18 holding a 500 visa. The core points:

• One guardian per student — but one guardian can cover multiple children: two kids in high school still need only one accompanying adult.
• The guardian must live with the student and maintain the caring role for the life of the visa.
• NO work rights. This is the point that deserves the plainest words: a 590 means one adult in the family stops earning entirely for several years, while adding their own Australian living costs. Over a 3–4 year high school course, that trade-off is bigger than the tuition itself.
• The guardian may study ELICOS (English) part-time; check current rules for the exact study limits.

Finances: proving funds for both student and guardian

The application must demonstrate financial capacity for both people: the student’s tuition plus living costs, and the guardian’s living costs — while the guardian is barred from earning in Australia. The standard living-cost figure for a primary applicant currently sits at AUD 29,710 per year (2025–26 level, adjusted periodically); amounts for accompanying persons are added under the Department’s formula. For how to structure funds, savings and family income, see our financial evidence guide for the student visa.

For children, the Genuine Student (GS) requirement does not disappear — it changes narrator: the study plan is presented by the parents. Why Australia, why this school, what the post-Year-12 pathway looks like, how sustainable the funding is — the parents write it, and the case officer assesses how coherent the family’s plan is.

Public or private school — tuition gaps are wide

International students in public (government) schools still pay tuition (not free, unlike children of PRs/citizens), at rates set by each state. Private schools — especially boarding schools and prestige names — can cost several times more. Multiply that gap by 3–4 years of schooling and it is a number worth calculating early, on top of the overall cost of studying in Australia across visa, insurance and living expenses.

One practical note: boarding schools can double as the welfare arrangement — one reason this group is expensive but “all-inclusive” for families who cannot accompany the child.

The real family question: is Australian high school worth it?

The advantages of going early are real:

• English reaches a naturalness that university-age arrivals rarely match.
• University entry via ATAR — your child finishes Year 12 in Australia, sits the same exams as Australian students, and enters university on an ATAR score, without a foundation year and without the English-test entry hurdle faced by applicants from Vietnam.
• Early familiarity with the education system, the culture and a peer network.

But the price is real too: the family starts paying 4–6 years earlier than the study-from-university option — and if the 590 route is chosen, add one adult’s lost income for all those years. The correct comparison is not “is Australian high school better?” (for English and university entry, it usually is), but: given the same total budget, does investing from high school or concentrating funds at the university–postgraduate stage serve the child’s long-term goal better? There is no universal answer — only one that fits each family’s finances and aims.

The pathway after Year 12

A student who completes Year 12 in Australia applies to Australian universities on ATAR like a domestic-schooled applicant for admission purposes (while still paying international tuition). From there, the onward path — course choice, the 485 visa, migration points — mirrors every other international student’s, with the head start of earlier English and Australian study time.

Summary

• Under 18: a welfare arrangement is mandatory — parent (590 visa), approved relative, or the school’s CAAW.
• The 590: one guardian can cover several children, must live with them, and cannot work — count the full opportunity cost of an adult earning nothing for years.
• Financial proof covers both student and guardian; the child’s GS case is made by the parents.
• Public vs private tuition gaps are large; boarding schools can double as the welfare arrangement.
• The right question is how to allocate the education budget across the whole journey — not just “is earlier better?”.

Want to model the options for your child — 590, relative or CAAW, public or private? Book a free assessment with VisaAffairs.

References

• Student visa (subclass 500) — welfare arrangements for students under 18 — Department of Home Affairs — welfare rules for under-18 students.
• Student Guardian visa (subclass 590) — Department of Home Affairs — guardian conditions, rights and limits.
• Gather documents — financial capacity — Department of Home Affairs — current financial evidence requirements.

This article is general information current at publication. Australian migration rules change regularly — check the date and contact VisaAffairs before relying on it for your own case. Book a consultation for advice on your specific circumstances.