Family unit entry and departure conditions: 8502, 8522, 8523 and 8525 (2026)
A family member does not have to sit next to the primary applicant on the plane, but under Schedule 8 of the Migration Regulations 1994 they cannot arrive first and they cannot leave last. Condition 8522 requires the holder to leave Australia not later than the time of departure of the person who satisfied the primary criteria and of whose family unit the holder is a member, and condition 8502 requires the holder not to enter Australia before the entry of the person specified in the visa. This follows the text published on the Federal Register of Legislation page for the Migration Regulations 1994, Schedule 8, as at September 2026.
Who do these conditions actually apply to?
None of the four conditions applies automatically to every visa. The note attached to each one 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 practice that means the question is never "does 8522 exist?" but "was 8522 imposed on this grant, and who is the person named in it?" The conditions recorded against a visa are the ones its holder must meet, and the family unit relationship is what links the secondary applicant's travel to the primary applicant's travel.
Can a secondary applicant enter Australia before the primary applicant?
No, if the visa carries condition 8502. The condition is short and unconditional:
The holder of the visa must not enter Australia before the entry to Australia of a person specified in the visa.
The timing test is about arrival, not about whose visa was granted first. Suppose a secondary applicant is granted their visa months before the primary applicant and travels ahead to start renting a place — that is exactly what 8502 prohibits. The person specified in the visa has to arrive first.
Must a family member leave at the same time as the primary applicant?
Not on the same flight, but not a moment later. Condition 8522 requires the holder to leave Australia not later than the time of departure of the person who satisfied the primary criteria and of whose family unit the holder is a member.
Two things follow from that wording. Leaving earlier is allowed; the condition sets a deadline, not a shared booking. And "not later than the time of departure" is stricter than "before the visa expires" — holding a visa that is still valid does not excuse remaining in Australia after the primary applicant has gone if 8522 is attached.
How is condition 8523 different from 8522?
Condition 8523 is drafted around a student visa holder rather than a person who satisfied the primary criteria generally. It applies to each person who:
- is a member of the family unit of the holder — being a spouse or de facto partner of the holder, or an unmarried child of the holder who has not turned 18;
- has satisfied the secondary criteria; and
- holds a student visa because of both of those things.
That person must leave Australia not later than the time of departure of the holder. The structure is the same sequencing rule as 8522, but the reference person is described as "the holder", and the condition text itself spells out which relationships count.
What does condition 8525 add?
Condition 8525 is about the method and timing of departure rather than the order of departure:
The holder must leave Australia by a specified means of transport on a specified day or within a specified period.
So it can require leaving on a specified flight, ship or other means of transport, on a specified day or within a specified period. Where 8502 and 8522 tie a family member's travel to someone else's, 8525 ties it to a transport arrangement recorded against the visa.
What happens if one of these conditions is breached?
Each condition's note directs readers to the Migration Act 1958 sections 41 and 116 to 119 on cancellation for breaches of conditions. The practical point is that these are enforceable visa conditions, not travel etiquette: breaching a condition attached to a visa can put that visa at risk of cancellation.
Because the consequences run through cancellation powers, the safe reading of 8502 and 8522 is conservative. If the sequencing is unclear in your own paperwork, treat the earlier entry and the later departure as the risky options.
How should you read these conditions against your own travel plans?
Read them in the order a trip happens:
- Check whether the condition appears on the visa grant.
- Identify the person the condition refers to — for 8502, the person specified in the visa; for 8522, the person who satisfied the primary criteria.
- Plan entry so that person arrives first.
- Plan departure so you leave no later than they do.
- If 8525 is also imposed, match the specified transport, day or period.
This article is general information about how these conditions are worded, not personalised advice about your circumstances, and the way a condition operates in an individual case depends on the visa grant and the current official text, so anything specific should be checked against the Department's latest published information or a registered professional's opinion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does condition 8522 mean I must be on the same flight as the primary applicant?
No. The condition requires the holder to leave Australia not later than the time of departure of the person who satisfied the primary criteria. Leaving earlier on a different flight satisfies it; leaving even slightly later does not.
Can I enter Australia first to set up housing if my own visa is already granted?
Not if your visa carries condition 8502. That condition prohibits the holder from entering Australia before the entry to Australia of the person specified in the visa, regardless of whose visa was granted first.
Can I stay a few extra days after the primary applicant leaves?
No, if condition 8522 is attached to your visa. The deadline is the time of the primary applicant's departure, not the end of your visa validity, and staying on to close out a lease or sell a car would breach it.
Is condition 8523 the same as 8522?
They impose the same "not later than the time of departure" rule but on different people. Condition 8523 applies to a spouse, de facto partner or unmarried child under 18 who is a member of the student visa holder's family unit, has satisfied the secondary criteria, and holds a student visa because of both.
Does condition 8525 mean the government books my ticket?
The condition requires the holder to leave Australia by a specified means of transport on a specified day or within a specified period. It fixes how and when the holder departs; it does not describe who arranges or pays for the travel.
Do these conditions apply to every partner or family visa?
No. The note to each 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. Whether it applies to you depends on the conditions imposed on your grant.