A dependent visa in Australia is not a standalone visa class. It is the mechanism by which a partner or dependent child is added to someone else’s visa application as a “member of the family unit,” a status defined in Regulation 1.12 of the Migration Regulations 1994.1Jade. Migration Regulations 1994 – Regulation 1.12 You can include eligible family members when you first apply, or they can apply later as subsequent entrants to join you in Australia. The subclass your family attaches to determines the fees, the work rights, and the evidence you need to prepare.
Who Counts as a Dependent
Regulation 1.12 recognizes three groups: partners, children under 23, and children over 23 with an incapacity.1Jade. Migration Regulations 1994 – Regulation 1.12
Partners
A legally married spouse qualifies as long as the relationship is genuine and continuing. De facto partners qualify too, but generally need to show the relationship existed for at least 12 months before the application date. Couples who register their de facto relationship with an Australian state or territory authority can skip the 12-month cohabitation requirement. Both married and de facto partners must be in a relationship to the exclusion of all others.
Children
Children under 18 qualify without proving financial reliance, provided they are not married or in a de facto relationship. Children aged 18 to 22 can still be included, but they need to show they have been financially dependent on the parent since turning 18. Once a child reaches 23, they are generally ineligible unless a physical or cognitive disability prevents them from supporting themselves, which requires detailed medical evidence.1Jade. Migration Regulations 1994 – Regulation 1.12
Applying Together or Joining You Later
The straightforward option is to include your family in the original application. Everyone is assessed together, granted the same visa subclass, and processed in sync. Most families choose this route when they know from the start they will relocate together.
When a family member needs to follow later, they lodge a separate application as a subsequent entrant, in their own name. For employer-sponsored visas such as the Skills in Demand (subclass 482), the sponsor must supply a written letter agreeing to extend the nomination to cover the new family member.2Department of Home Affairs. Skills in Demand Visa Subclass 482 – Subsequent Entrant Subsequent entrants must still meet health, character, and relationship requirements. If they are already in Australia when the decision is made, they need to hold a substantive visa or a bridging visa.
Subsequent entrant applications are assessed independently rather than alongside a primary application, so they can take longer than adding a dependent at the outset.
What It Costs
The Visa Application Charge for a dependent is separate from the primary applicant’s fee and varies by subclass and by the dependent’s age. Based on 2025 fee schedules, which the Department adjusts annually, rough figures are:
- Skilled visas (subclass 189 or 190): about AUD $2,455 for an adult partner, and around AUD $1,230 for a child under 18.
- Student visa (subclass 500): about AUD $1,225 for a partner aged 18 or over, and around AUD $400 for a child under 18.
Confirm current amounts on the Department of Home Affairs website before you lodge. Beyond the application charge, budget for health examinations, police certificates from every relevant country, health insurance premiums, and biometrics fees where required. For a family of three on a student visa, out-of-pocket costs for the dependent applications alone can exceed AUD $3,000 before ongoing health cover.
Documents and Evidence
Forms
Every dependent aged 18 or over completes Form 47A, covering their personal circumstances and relationship to the primary applicant.3Department of Home Affairs. Form 47A – Details of Child or Other Dependent Family Member Aged 18 Years or Over Form 1221, which collects additional personal and travel history for security vetting, applies to everyone aged 16 and over.4Department of Home Affairs. Form 1221 – Additional Personal Particulars Information Both must be completed in English.
Relationship Evidence for Partners
The Department assesses partner relationships across four dimensions: financial, household, social, and commitment. Joint bank statements, shared lease agreements, and utility bills in both names cover the financial and household side. Social evidence includes photos together, invitations addressed to both partners, and statutory declarations from friends or family who know the relationship. A written statement describing how you met, how you share responsibilities, and your future plans rounds out the picture. Officers look for consistency across all four dimensions, and a weaker showing in one area can be balanced by stronger evidence in another.
Identity and Character
Each dependent needs a valid passport and an official birth certificate. Character checks require police clearance certificates from every country where the applicant has lived for 12 or more months in the past 10 years, starting from age 16.5Australia in the USA. Visa Requirements – Section: Character Requirements The Department may also request Form 80 or a Form 1563 statement of character.6Department of Home Affairs. Character Requirements for Visas Overseas police certificates can take weeks or months depending on the country, so order them early.
Lodging the Application
All applications go through the Department’s online portal, ImmiAccount. You create an account, upload high-quality scans of your documents into the designated categories, and pay the charge. Blurry or cropped scans are a common cause of delay, so use a flatbed scanner or a proper document-scanning app rather than phone photos.
Once lodged, you get an acknowledgement of application. If the dependent is already in Australia, a Bridging Visa A is typically granted automatically as part of the substantive application, letting the person remain lawfully while the main visa is processed.7Department of Home Affairs. Subclass 010 Bridging Visa A Work and travel conditions on the bridging visa follow the substantive visa being applied for.
At some point the Department will request health examinations. Inside Australia, these are done through Bupa Medical Visa Services. Overseas, you visit a Department-approved panel physician or clinic.8Department of Home Affairs. Arrange Your Health Examinations The check screens for tuberculosis and other conditions with public health implications.
Processing Times
Dependents included in the original application are processed alongside it, so timeframes follow the primary subclass. As of early 2026, median processing times published by the Department range from 33 days for student visas to 87 days for temporary skilled visas and about nine months for permanent skilled visas.9Department of Home Affairs. Visa Processing Times Incomplete documents, adverse health findings, or extra character checks can push individual cases well beyond the median.
Work Rights Once You Arrive
Whether a dependent can work in Australia depends on the primary holder’s visa.
Family members of a student visa holder can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while the student’s course is in session.10Department of Home Affairs. Subclass 500 Student Visa If the student is enrolled in a master’s by research or a doctoral degree, family members can work unlimited hours. The same unlimited work right extends to family members of students in a master’s by coursework or an extended master’s program, even though the student remains capped at 48 hours.11Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. Conditions List – Section: 8104 Work Limitation One trap worth flagging: neither the student nor their family members can work at all before the student’s course begins.
For skilled and employer-sponsored visas, dependent work rights are generally unrestricted. Partners on a subclass 482 or 186 can work for any employer in any occupation. Whatever the visa type, check the actual conditions on your record through VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online) before accepting a job.
Health Insurance
Visa condition 8501 requires most temporary visa holders to maintain adequate health insurance for the whole stay.12Department of Home Affairs. Adequate Health Insurance for Visa Holders For student visa holders and their dependents, that means Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC). For other temporary visa holders, Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) is the standard product.13PrivateHealth.gov.au. Overseas Visitors and Overseas Students Family OSHC policies covering a partner and children usually run between AUD $3,000 and $3,800 per year. Letting cover lapse breaches the visa condition and can lead to cancellation.
Dependent Children and School
Dependent children on temporary visas can enrol in Australian schools, but they are generally classified as temporary residents and charged tuition at government schools. Fees vary by state and territory, by school level, and by the parent’s visa subclass. Some jurisdictions offer reduced fees or exemptions for families below certain income thresholds. Expect several thousand dollars per child per year at a government school, with private school fees substantially higher. Contact the relevant state or territory education department for current fees before finalizing your budget.
University-aged dependents can enrol in higher education, but they are usually charged international student fees rather than the domestic rate. A dependent who wants to study full-time at tertiary level may need to apply for their own student visa, since dependent visa conditions do not always permit it.
If the Relationship Breaks Down
A relationship breakdown between a dependent partner and the primary visa holder can directly threaten the dependent’s right to stay. Visa holders are required to notify the Department when their relationship status changes, and failing to do so can affect the validity of the visa.14Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. Changes in Your Situation For most temporary visas, a dependent partner whose relationship ends will need to find another visa pathway or leave.
There is an important exception for dependents who experience domestic or family violence. The family violence provisions allow certain visa applicants to continue toward permanent residency despite the relationship ending, provided the violence occurred during the relationship and the applicant holds or has applied for an eligible visa.15Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. Domestic and Family Violence and Your Visa – Family Violence Provisions Eligible visas include the temporary partner visas (subclass 820 and 309) and a range of skilled and family subclasses where the secondary applicant experienced violence from the primary applicant. Dependent children who applied for a Dependent Child (subclass 445) visa may also be eligible.