For most families, the children are the reason for the move: the schools, the space, the safety, the sunshine. The good news: Australia’s visa system is built for families, and children are included in almost every visa application at modest additional cost.
The catch: children bring their own rules: dependency limits, consent requirements, timing around school years. And small oversights cause painful delays. Here is everything parents need to know, from the former immigration officials who have moved thousands of families.
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Whether you pursue a skilled visa, an employer-sponsored 482, an investor route or a partner visa, your dependent children join the same application and receive the same visa you do, including permanent residency where the visa grants it.
Permanent residency brings your children Medicare, public schooling at resident rates, and, for many, Australian citizenship within a few years.
Three tests decide whether a child can migrate with you:
Consent is the silent case-killer in family migration. We address custody and consent evidence at the very start, because discovering a problem at lodgement can cost a family its timeline.
What your children actually receive on arrival:
Timing the move against the Australian school year (late January start) often shapes the whole application strategy. We plan it backwards from the classroom door.
Adding children to your application (charges from 1 July 2026): AUD 1,540 per child on the skilled 189/190 visas, and AUD 2,935 per child on the partner route, a fraction of the primary charge for the same permanent outcome.
The Child visa route (for children of Australians) is charged separately. The current fees are published on the Department of Home Affairs Child visa page.
Processing: children inside a family application share the family’s timeline. Standalone child visas vary with custody complexity. Clean consent evidence is the single biggest accelerator.
Consent, resolved early: if the other parent’s consent may be contested, the strategy must be settled before anything is lodged.
Dependency, evidenced: for children over 18, dependency is proved with bank support, living arrangements, enrolment, not assumed.
Timing, planned backwards: from the school year, through visa processing medians, to the day you lodge.
A child born mid-application? Wonderful news, and easily added to the application when handled promptly. Tell your adviser before you tell social media.
Discuss your eligibility and explore your options with a dedicated migration specialist.
Full birth certificates naming both parents, passports for every child, and adoption or parentage orders where applicable. Names and dates must match perfectly across all documents.
Where parents are separated: the other parent’s formal consent to the migration (Form 1229 with certified identification), or court orders granting the right to remove the child, or evidence of sole parental responsibility. This is the most sensitive part of any family application. We handle it first, and carefully.
For older dependants: enrolment records, financial support evidence, shared living arrangements and confirmation they are unmarried and not in full-time employment. Dependency is proved, never presumed.
Recent school reports for enrolment on arrival, plus vaccination histories that Australian schools expect. Not always demanded by the visa, but always demanded by the first school morning.
Immigration medical examinations for every child, and police certificates for those 16 and over from relevant countries. Booked when instructed, so nothing expires mid-application.
Yes. Dependent children are included in almost every Australian visa application, from skilled and employer-sponsored routes to partner and investor visas, and they receive the same visa you do.
Under 18 automatically; on several routes children up to 23 can qualify while they remain unmarried and financially dependent on you.
Australia will not grant a child’s visa without the legal right to remove the child: formal consent, a court order or sole parental responsibility. Resolve this first; we advise on the evidence pathway before anything is lodged.
As permanent residents they access public schooling at resident rates. On temporary visas, access and fees vary by state, a factor we build into route selection.
From 1 July 2026: AUD 1,540 per child on the skilled visas and AUD 2,935 on the partner route, plus their health examinations and, for over-16s, police certificates.
A child born mid-application can be added to it, and a child born in Australia to a permanent resident parent is an Australian citizen at birth. Tell your adviser promptly and it is a formality.
Yes, with the right documentation: adoption orders or evidence of the step-relationship and dependency. The custody and consent rules apply equally.
Australian schools start in late January. We plan applications backwards from your target school intake, using processing medians so arrival aligns with enrolment rather than mid-term.
Whether you have questions or need guidance on your Australian immigration path, our specialists are ready to listen and advise. Contact us today.