Evidence for Subclass 500 Secondary Applicants: Education, Address and Stay-Limit Records (2026)

Whether a Student visa (Subclass 500), including one held by a secondary applicant, is subject to conditions such as 8578 or 8580 depends on the relevant provision in Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994; where a condition is imposed, Schedule 8 sets out exactly what it requires. Where those conditions are imposed, two of them carry hard deadlines: if the Minister requests it in writing, you have 28 days to produce evidence of your residential address and of the address of any educational institution you attend; and you have 14 days to notify Immigration of changes to your residential address, email address, phone number or passport details. This reflects the Schedule 8 text published on the Federal Register of Legislation (Migration Regulations 1994, Schedule 8), as at September 2026.

One limitation matters before anything else. The notes to Schedule 8 state that whether a visa of a particular class may be made subject to a condition depends on the relevant provision in Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994. Where a condition is imposed, Schedule 8 defines exactly what it demands.

What evidence can a secondary applicant be required to produce?

Condition 8580 is the production rule. If requested in writing by the Minister, the holder must provide evidence, within 28 days after the date of the request, of any or all of the following:

the holder's residential address;
the address of each employer of the holder;
the address of each location of each position in which the holder is employed;
the address of an educational institution attended by the holder.

The clock runs from the date of the request, not from the day you happen to read it, and the list is closed — those four categories are what can be demanded under this condition. For a school-age secondary applicant, the fourth limb is the operative one; the employer limbs typically have no work to do.

Why does the education limb matter for school-age applicants?

Because condition 8580(d) turns school attendance into something you must be able to evidence on demand. The condition asks for the address of an educational institution attended by the holder — present tense. Assume a secondary applicant child changes schools mid-year and the family also moves house: the address that would be produced under 8580(d) is now the new institution's, and the change of residential address has independently started the 14-day clock under condition 8578. Enrolment and attendance records that still name the old school are stale evidence, and the mismatch is easy for a decision maker to see when both conditions are read together.

This is general information about how the regulation text operates, not an assessment of any individual case; if a specific visa outcome turns on it, the official text and a qualified professional's advice should govern the decision.

What has to be reported, and within how many days?

Condition 8578 sets a 14-day notification duty. The holder must notify Immigration of a change to any of the following within 14 days after the change occurs:

What changed	Deadline
Residential address	14 days after the change
Email address	14 days after the change
Phone number	14 days after the change
Passport details	14 days after the change
Address of an employer	14 days after the change
Address of the location of a position in which the holder is employed	14 days after the change

Unlike 8580, this duty is not triggered by a request. The 14 days run from the change itself, so a passive holder who waits to be asked is already late. A new passport issued during the visa period, a new mobile number, a move to a different suburb — each starts its own clock.

Does the primary applicant's update cover the secondary applicant?

Where condition 8578 is imposed, it is written as a duty of "the holder", so the obligation falls on the holder of that particular visa for their own residential address, email address, phone number and passport details; whether it is imposed on a secondary applicant's visa is determined by Schedule 2. The same reading applies to condition 8580: a written request is answered by the holder it is made to, producing that holder's own evidence.

Where the condition is imposed, this is where family applications drift apart. The primary applicant updates their details and assumes the household is covered, while a secondary applicant's passport is reissued and never reported.

What stay-limit conditions can appear in Schedule 8?

Schedule 8 sets rolling stay-limit conditions including 8573, 8575 and 8576. Which of them, if any, may be imposed on a particular visa depends on the relevant provision in Schedule 2.

Condition	Maximum stay	Reference period
8573	12 months	in any period of 24 months
8575	7 months	in any period of 12 months
8576	10 months	in any period of 12 months

The wording "in any period of" is the part that catches people out. These are not calendar-year caps that reset on 1 January; the window slides, so the count is taken backwards from any day of stay. A visa holder who spends seven months in Australia and leaves can still breach condition 8575 if the preceding twelve months already contain further Australian stay. Because the applicable condition is determined by Schedule 2 rather than by Schedule 8, confirm the current official position before planning travel around these limits.

What happens if a condition is breached?

The notes to Schedule 8 point to the Migration Act 1958, sections 41 and 116 to 119, for cancellation for breaches of conditions. Failing to produce the evidence listed in condition 8580 within 28 days after a written request, or failing to notify a change under condition 8578 within 14 days, is a breach of the condition as written — no separate warning step appears in the condition text.

The practical exposure is not limited to the moment of application. These conditions operate while the visa is held, which is why the evidence trail — address, contact details, passport, school enrolment — needs to stay accurate for the life of the visa.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 28-day rule in condition 8580?

Condition 8580 requires the holder, if requested in writing by the Minister, to provide evidence of their residential address, each employer's address, each work location address, and the address of any educational institution attended. The evidence must be provided within 28 days after the date of the request. The condition is triggered only by a written request, not automatically.

What must be reported within 14 days under condition 8578?

Changes to the holder's residential address, email address, phone number, passport details, the address of an employer, and the address of the location of a position in which the holder is employed. The 14 days run from the date the change occurs. No request from Immigration is needed to start the clock.

Does condition 8580 let Immigration ask for school records?

It asks for the address of an educational institution attended by the holder, which is narrower than full school records. For a school-age secondary applicant this is the limb that connects education arrangements to an enforceable evidence duty. Whether the request is made, and for which of the four categories, is a matter for the Minister.

Are the stay limits in conditions 8573, 8575 and 8576 counted by calendar year?

No. Each is expressed as a maximum number of months "in any period of" a longer window, so the reference period slides rather than resetting annually. Condition 8573 allows 12 months in any 24-month period, 8575 allows 7 months in any 12-month period, and 8576 allows 10 months in any 12-month period.

If the primary applicant reports a new address, is the secondary applicant covered?

Where condition 8578 is imposed, it is an obligation of the holder, so each holder of a visa must notify their own residential address, email, phone and passport changes within 14 days of the change; whether the condition is imposed on a secondary applicant's visa is determined by Schedule 2.

What is the consequence of breaching a visa condition?

The Schedule 8 notes refer to the Migration Act 1958 sections 41 and 116 to 119 on cancellation for breaches of conditions. Breaches include failing to provide requested evidence within 28 days under condition 8580 and failing to notify a change within 14 days under condition 8578.