Which Countries Allow Master’s and PhD Students to Bring Dependants?
Several leading study destinations are expected to let international master’s and PhD students bring a spouse, partner or children in 2027. However, the right differs across countries and degrees. Australia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark remain comparatively family-friendly. Canada links spousal work rights to programme length, while the United Kingdom and Ireland largely favour research and PhD students over taught-master’s applicants.
This comparison reflects official immigration rules available on 25 July 2026. Applicants targeting a 2027 intake should recheck the rules before submitting a visa application because dependant policies can change independently of university admission requirements.
Applicants must separately check whether dependants may enter, whether the spouse may work, whether children can attend school and how much additional funding must be proved.
List of 10 Countries that Allow Postgrad Admissions to Bring Dependants
Following 10 countries actually allow foreign students to apply for postgrad MS/Phd admissions and bring their dependants along:
| Country | Taught Master’s | Research Master’s or PhD | Spouse’s Work Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Yes | Yes | Broad work rights |
| Canada | Family can apply | Yes | Mainly 16-month-plus master’s or PhD |
| New Zealand | Yes | Yes | Partner work visa available |
| United Kingdom | Usually no | Yes | Eligible dependant may work |
| Finland | Yes | Yes | Unrestricted work rights |
| Sweden | Yes | Yes | Residence-and-work permit |
| Denmark | State-approved courses | Yes | Work allowed |
| Germany | Possible | Possible | Usually possible under family permit |
| United States | Yes | Yes | F-2 cannot work; J-2 may apply |
| Ireland | Usually no | PhD generally yes | Depends on the permission granted |
Which Visa Should Master’s and PhD Students Use to Bring Dependants?
The immigration route differs significantly across study destinations. Some countries place the entire family under the student’s visa category, while others require the spouse and children to submit separate work, study, visitor, or family-reunification applications. Planning ahead matters: a country may allow family members to enter but still prevent the spouse from working or require children to obtain separate study permission.
Applicants should identify the precise dependant route before accepting an offer of admission. The ten country-by-country breakdowns below reflect rules in force as of July 2026.
1# Australia: Student Visa Subclass 500 During Study, Subclass 485 After Graduation
A master’s or PhD student normally applies for the Student visa subclass 500. A spouse, de facto partner, and eligible dependent children can be included as secondary applicants within the same subclass 500 application. They may apply alongside the student or later as subsequent entrants, provided those family members were declared when the original application was submitted. Australia does not operate a separately numbered “student dependant visa” for the spouse of a postgraduate student.
- Post-Study Option: Subclass 485
After completing an eligible Australian qualification, graduates may apply for the Temporary Graduate visa subclass 485 (Post-Higher Education Work stream), which also permits eligible family members to be included or added. This is a post-study visa and is not an alternative to subclass 500 while the student is still enrolled. The Student Guardian visa subclass 590 is unrelated to spousal accompaniment: it is intended for a parent, custodian, or qualifying relative who is caring for an international student under 18.
- Work Rights for the Student and Family
Work rights are especially favourable for families of postgraduate students. The standard subclass 500 holder is capped at 48 hours of work per fortnight while the course is in session (raised from 40 hours in July 2023), with unlimited hours permitted outside of study periods. However, this cap does not apply to students enrolled in a master’s by research or a doctoral degree: once the course has started, they may work unlimited hours.
A family member accompanying any student completing a master’s by coursework, master’s by research, or doctoral degree may also work more than 48 hours per fortnight. This is a notable asymmetry: the spouse of a coursework master’s student has unrestricted work rights even though the student themselves remains subject to the 48-hour cap during term.
2# Canada: Study Permit Plus Separate Family Applications
Canada does not issue a combined “family student visa.” The main applicant receives a Canadian study permit, while each family member applies for the immigration document appropriate to their intended activity. A spouse or common-law partner may apply for a work permit or visitor status; children may require a study permit or visitor status. Depending on nationality and approval outcome, a temporary resident visa or electronic travel authorization may also be required for travel to Canada.
- Spousal Open Work Permit: Restricted Since January 2025
The most valuable option for accompanying spouses is the spousal open work permit (SOWP). Following rule changes effective 21 January 2025, eligibility is now limited: the spouse or common-law partner of a student qualifies only when the student holds a valid study permit and is enrolled in a doctoral programme, a master’s programme of at least 16 months’ duration, or a designated professional programme (such as medicine, law, nursing, engineering, or pharmacy). Shorter master’s programmes no longer confer eligibility on the spouse, regardless of how the student’s study permit was obtained.
A further IRCC update in March 2026 added an additional restriction: an SOWP application will be refused — including on renewal — if the student is in their final academic term at the time of application. Families should therefore avoid describing Canada as offering a single “dependant visa”: a typical family package may contain three distinct immigration documents.
3# New Zealand: Partner Work Visa and Dependent Child Student Visa
The master’s or PhD applicant first obtains the relevant New Zealand student visa — most self-funded international students use a Fee Paying Student Visa, though the category can vary for scholarship, exchange, or pathway students.
A student enrolled in a level 9 master’s or level 10 doctoral qualification can support their partner’s application for a Partner of a Student Work Visa. No New Zealand job offer is required, and the visa is normally granted for the same duration as the student’s visa. A partner who does not intend to work may instead consider the relevant partnership-based visitor visa.
- Children: A Two-Step Pathway for Master’s Families
Children apply for a Dependent Child Student Visa, but the sponsorship chain differs between programme levels. A PhD student at a New Zealand university can directly sponsor both the partner’s work visa and the children’s student visas. A master’s student can directly sponsor the partner’s work visa, after which the work-visa-holding partner may in turn sponsor the children’s Dependent Child Student Visa applications. Where eligible, this structure can allow children to be treated as domestic students for school-fee purposes.
4# United Kingdom: Student Visa Dependant Route (Research Degrees Only Since 2024)
The main applicant holds a UK Student visa, while each eligible spouse, partner, or child submits a separate application as a dependant partner or dependant child under the Student route. Their permission is linked to the principal student’s immigration status.
For courses beginning on or after 1 January 2024, a postgraduate student may normally bring dependants only if studying a PhD, another doctoral qualification, or a programme formally classified as a research-based higher degree — defined under the Immigration Rules as a postgraduate programme where the research component (including a requirement to produce original work) is larger than any taught component when measured by student effort. The course must also last at least nine months. A government-sponsored student studying a course of more than six months may also qualify.
An ordinary taught master’s — including an MSc, MA, MBA, or LLM, even one containing a substantial research project or dissertation — does not normally meet the research-degree exception. Students unsure whether their programme qualifies should request written confirmation from their university before applying, as the Home Office does not accept a student’s own assessment of the course structure. An eligible dependant partner can generally work in the UK, including through self-employment, subject to restrictions on professional sport and certain other activities.
5# Finland: Residence Permit on the Basis of Family Ties
The student applies for a residence permit for studies, while the spouse, registered partner, and eligible children submit separate applications for a residence permit on the basis of family ties. Family members of a degree student are generally issued an A permit (continuous residence permit).
The first permit may be issued for up to one year, with extensions available for longer periods; however, a family-ties permit cannot extend beyond the student sponsor’s permission. A family-ties permit grants the holder an unrestricted right to work, conduct a business, and study in Finland.
- Sequential Processing: Families Cannot Always Travel Together
The student and family can prepare their applications simultaneously, but Finland’s immigration authority clarified in May 2026 that a family-member application cannot be decided until the student has first received a positive residence-permit decision. Families should not assume that approvals will arrive simultaneously, or that all members can travel to Finland at the same time.
6# Sweden: Higher-Education, Doctoral, or Research Residence Permits
A master’s student applies for a residence permit for studies in higher education. A doctoral candidate may use a residence permit for doctoral studies, while certain doctoral candidates with a qualifying hosting agreement may receive a residence permit for research under rules effective from June 2026. The correct category depends on whether the applicant is admitted as a doctoral student, employed as a researcher, or covered by a hosting agreement.
The spouse, registered partner, cohabiting partner, and unmarried children under 18 apply for a residence permit as family members of a student or doctoral student. They may apply with the principal applicant or submit applications later to join the student. The permit normally matches the student’s authorised period of stay and grants the family member the right to live and work in Sweden. Families should consult the Swedish Migration Agency’s current category guide, because “doctoral student” and “researcher” are no longer interchangeable labels for immigration purposes.
7# Denmark: Accompanying-Family Residence Permit
A master’s student normally applies for a residence permit for studies in a state-approved higher-education programme. PhD candidates may instead receive a residence and work permit under the PhD scheme, covering salaried, unsalaried, and guest-PhD routes depending on the arrangement.
A spouse, civil partner, documented cohabiting partner, or child under 18 applies separately to the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) for an accompanying-family residence permit for students and PhD candidates. The family may apply at the same time as the student or after the principal permit has been granted. The accompanying-family permit normally includes the right to work and study in Denmark.
- Same-Employer Exception and Non-Approved Programmes
One important restriction may arise if the dependant intends to work for the same employer as the sponsor or a closely connected company; a separate work permit may then be required. This route is also generally limited to students in state-approved higher-education programmes and qualifying PhD schemes — admission to a non-state-approved programme does not automatically carry family-sponsorship rights.
8# Germany: National Study Visa and Family-Reunification Visa
A non-EU master’s student normally enters on a German national visa for study purposes (type D) and subsequently receives a residence permit for study purposes under Section 16b of the Residence Act (AufenthG). A PhD applicant may qualify under the student route (Section 16b) or under the researcher route (Section 18d), depending on whether the person is enrolled primarily as a doctoral student or is conducting research through an employment contract or qualifying hosting arrangement. Germany formally recognised this dual pathway for doctoral applicants from November 2023.
- Family Reunification: Key Conditions
A spouse and minor children apply for a national visa for family reunification and, after arrival, receive residence permits for family reasons from the local foreigners authority (Ausländerbehörde). Approval is generally considered where the student already holds a residence permit, the marriage existed when that permit was granted, the expected stay in Germany exceeds one year, and the family can be supported without recourse to public funds.
Family members admitted through this route are permitted to work. Depending on nationality and individual circumstances, proof of suitable accommodation, health insurance, and basic German language proficiency may also be required.
9# United States: F-2 or J-2 Dependant Visas
Most international master’s and PhD students enter the United States on an F-1 academic student visa. Their spouse and unmarried children under 21 may apply for F-2 visas. The university must issue an individual Form I-20 for each F-2 family member.
An important limitation applies to F-2 dependants: they cannot work in the United States. Dependent children may attend elementary and secondary school full time, but an adult F-2 dependant who wishes to enrol in a full-time university programme normally needs to change status to F-1 or another appropriate category.
Some funded graduate students, visiting researchers, and doctoral scholars are sponsored through approved exchange programmes and enter on a J-1 exchange visitor visa. Their spouse and unmarried children under 21 may receive J-2 visas. Unlike an F-2 spouse, a J-2 spouse may apply to USCIS for employment authorisation using Form I-765, but permission is not automatic and no work should begin until authorisation has been approved. Applicants should clarify with their university whether it will issue Form I-20 (F-1) or Form DS-2019 (J-1), as this choice fundamentally changes the spouse’s ability to work.
10# Ireland: Family Reunification Route Mainly for PhD Students
Most non-EEA master’s and PhD students requiring an entry visa first apply for a long-stay D study visa and, after arrival, register their student permission under Stamp 2 conditions.
Ireland does not generally permit students on an ordinary master’s or other student permission to sponsor family reunification. The principal exceptions are students completing an accredited PhD (treated as Category B sponsors under Ireland’s revised family-reunification policy, effective 12 June 2026) and participants in ISD-approved scholarship programmes such as the King Abdullah Scholarship Programme (KASP). Category B sponsors are eligible for immediate reunification, subject to financial, accommodation, and no-recourse-to-public-funds requirements.
- Entry Visa and Work Rights for Dependants
Where the dependant is from a visa-required country, the spouse, partner, or child applies for a long-stay D Join Family visa. After arrival, the family member must register and receive an Irish Residence Permit (IRP) under the conditions specified in the approval letter. The right to work depends on the immigration stamp actually granted and should not be assumed. A PhD candidate employed as a researcher under an official Hosting Agreement may access a different — and often more favourable — family-reunification pathway than a student registered solely on Stamp 2.
Important Note for Readers
Immigration rules change frequently. The information above reflects policies in force as of July 2026. Families should verify current requirements with the relevant immigration authority or a qualified immigration adviser before submitting any application. Do not rely solely on this article for legal decisions.
Which Country Is Best for Students Bringing Dependants in 2027?
For a taught master’s with a spouse who needs to work, Australia, Finland, Sweden and state-approved programmes in Denmark provide some of the clearest options. Canada becomes stronger when the master’s lasts at least 16 months. New Zealand is attractive for partners, although families with children may need a staged visa strategy.
PhD students have wider choices, including the UK and Ireland, but work rights and financial requirements differ sharply. Before selecting a university, confirm the degree classification, dependant category, spouse’s employment rights, maintenance funds, health-insurance costs and school charges.
In 2027, choosing a country that permits dependants is only the first step. Choosing the correct programme length, research classification and visa category is what makes the family plan legally and financially workable.