Subclass 445 — Dependent Child visa

Eligibility snapshot

General information only — not immigration assistance or legal advice. The figures, thresholds and rules below are described in broad terms; always confirm current requirements on the official Home Affairs page, and a registered practitioner can advise on your particular circumstances. The Dependent Child (subclass 445) visa is a temporary visa built around one specific family situation. In general terms, it is for a dependent child of a parent who has lodged a provisional or temporary partner visa and is waiting on the permanent stage of that partner pathway. The visa exists so that a child who was not already included in the parent's partner application can be linked to the parent and, in turn, be added to the parent's permanent partner application later. The shape of eligibility typically turns on a few connected ideas. First, there is a qualifying relationship: the applicant is generally the child of a parent who is on the relevant temporary or provisional partner visa, where 'child' is understood broadly (for example biological, adopted or step relationships). Second, there is dependency: a younger child is usually treated as dependent automatically, while an older child generally has to show genuine and substantial financial dependence on the parent and that they are not partnered. Age is one of the more sensitive parts of this visa, and timing matters — check the official page for how age and dependency are assessed. A sponsorship element also runs through this visa: in general the same person who sponsors the parent's partner visa is involved in supporting the child. As with most Australian visas, health and character expectations apply, and character checks tend to become relevant for older children. Requirements, age bands and dependency tests change over time and are detailed on the official page, so treat this snapshot as orientation rather than a checklist of legal thresholds.

Frequently asked questions

Health and character requirements

Applicants for the Dependent Child (subclass 445) visa are generally required to meet Australia's health requirement. In broad terms, this means being free from a disease or condition likely to be a significant healthcare and community-service cost to the Australian community, or likely to limit the access of Australian citizens and permanent residents to healthcare and community services that are in short supply. The health examinations a person is asked to complete depend on their individual circumstances and the visa applied for. A specific arrangement exists for children born in Australia. The Department states that where a child was born in Australia and does not meet the health requirement for a temporary or permanent visa, a separate special-consideration application is generally not needed, because a visa processing officer will consider the child's circumstances. The character requirement generally applies to applicants aged 16 and over. Decision-making can be informed by police certificates, the information declared on the application, and the Department's liaison with law enforcement and other government agencies. Applicants aged 16 and over are generally asked to provide a police certificate for each country in which they have spent 12 months or more over the last 10 years since turning 16. Because the visa concerns a child, additional child-protection measures apply. Where the child will be under 18 at the time of decision, the sponsor is generally asked to provide police certificates, and a sponsor (or their partner) who has a conviction for a registrable offence can result in the sponsorship being refused. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Health cover and Medicare

The subclass 445 page states that once an application to add the child to their parent's permanent Partner visa has been submitted, the child can enrol in Australia's public healthcare scheme, Medicare. Services Australia states that a person can generally enrol in Medicare if they live in Australia and have applied for a permanent visa (other than a parent visa or a protection visa) and also either hold a visa that allows them to work, or have a parent, spouse or child who is an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen living in Australia. Services Australia notes this includes people who have applied for a combined Partner (spouse) visa, subclass 309/100 or 820/801. Enrolling online generally requires living in Australia, a current passport or ImmiCard, and valid visa details from the Department of Home Affairs. A family can enrol together, and Services Australia asks for details and identity documents for children under 15. Where a person does not hold a visa that allows them to work, eligibility can still arise through a qualifying family relationship, and in certain circumstances some cover may be available under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement. Eligibility for Medicare is assessed by Services Australia, and the position for any individual depends on the specific visas and circumstances involved. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Costs and the Visa Application Charge

The Australian Government charges a Visa Application Charge for this visa. This government charge is separate from, and additional to, any fee charged by a migration agent, lawyer or other service provider. On the Department's current visa pricing, the base application charge for the Dependent Child (subclass 445) visa is AUD 4,040, with an additional-applicant charge of AUD 2,020 for each applicant aged 18 or over and AUD 1,015 for each applicant under 18. Beyond the Visa Application Charge, the Department notes there may be other costs, such as for health checks, police certificates and biometrics. After a subclass 445 visa is granted, the holder generally applies to be added to their parent's permanent Partner visa, lodging Form 1002 in ImmiAccount. The Department's pricing information states that a person who applies for a Partner visa and who holds a Dependent Child (subclass 445) visa is eligible for a nil Visa Application Charge for that Partner visa. Because these figures are updated from time to time, current amounts can be confirmed using the Department's visa pricing table and Visa Pricing Estimator. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Visa validity and processing

The subclass 445 is a temporary visa. It is generally granted so that a dependent child can move to or stay in Australia while a decision is made on their parent's permanent Partner visa application. Its duration is tied to that parent's application. According to the Department, the child can stay until the Department decides the parent's permanent Partner visa application, or until the parent withdraws that application. The Department publishes a visa processing times guide that gives an indication of how long an application may take, based on how long it has taken to process recently decided applications. The Department states this is a guide only, is not specific to any individual application, and does not guarantee that applications will be decided within the indicated timeframe. Once granted the visa, the holder must apply to be added to their parent's permanent Partner visa application by lodging Form 1002 in ImmiAccount before the parent's application is decided. The Department states that lodging this form ensures the child remains lawful in Australia. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Conditions that attach to this visa

The Subclass 445 is a temporary visa that lets a dependent child live in Australia while a parent's permanent Partner visa application is being decided. The Department's visa conditions tool, which lists the conditions attached to each visa subclass, does not show any visa conditions for the Subclass 445. The authoritative record for any individual grant remains the visa grant notification and the holder's details in VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online). Even where no numbered conditions are attached, a holder must still obey Australian laws and meet the general obligations set out in their grant letter. The Department's guidance indicates the holder can work and study in Australia and can travel to and from Australia while the visa is in effect, and that time spent outside Australia does not extend the visa. Two obligations are central to this visa. First, the holder is generally expected to make their first entry to Australia before the first-entry date shown in the grant letter, which the Department indicates is commonly set around 12 months from the date of grant. Second, once the visa is granted the holder is generally required to apply, using Form 1002, to be added to the parent's permanent Partner visa application before that application is decided. Because the details that apply to any grant are set out in the grant notification, holders are generally advised to read that letter carefully and to check their current conditions through VEVO. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Who this visa is for and what decision-makers look at

This is a family-stream temporary visa for the dependent child of a person who holds a temporary Partner visa (Subclass 820 in Australia or Subclass 309 outside Australia), or who already holds a Subclass 445 visa. Its purpose is to let that child live in Australia while the parent's permanent Partner visa (Subclass 801 or 100) is being decided. A central requirement is that the applicant is a dependent child of the eligible parent. This generally covers a biological child, an adopted child or a step-child who is unmarried and not in a de facto relationship. A child under 18 is generally treated as dependent, while a child aged 18 or over generally has to show they are financially dependent on the parent (or unable to work because of incapacity), and the departmental forms set out how dependency is assessed. The child must be sponsored, and the sponsor is generally the same person who sponsors the parent's Partner visa. Where other people have legal responsibility for the child, consent to the child's migration is generally required. Decision-makers also look at health and character. Applicants are generally asked to meet health requirements (which may involve a medical examination) and character requirements (which may involve police certificates depending on age and circumstances), and the Department applies specific child-protection safeguards to Partner and child visa sponsorships. There is no points test, English-language test, skills assessment or occupation list for this visa; those apply to skilled visas, not to this family-stream child visa. Eligibility turns on the family relationship, dependency, sponsorship, and the health and character requirements. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Family members and what the visa allows after grant

This visa is centred on one dependent child, but the departmental forms allow a dependent child of that child (for example, the applicant's own child) to be included in the application when it is lodged or at any time before it is decided. Each person included must separately meet the relevant requirements, including the health requirement. After grant, the visa generally allows the holder to live in Australia, work and study, and travel to and from Australia as often as they wish while it is in effect; time spent outside Australia does not extend it. The visa stays in effect only until the parent's permanent Partner visa application is decided or that application is withdrawn. Once that happens, the temporary status ends, so it is a temporary, bridging-style status rather than a permanent one. For Medicare, the Department indicates that once an application to add the child to the parent's permanent Partner visa application has been submitted, the child can enrol in Australia's public health scheme, Medicare. The pathway to permanent residence is by being added to the parent's permanent Partner visa. After the 445 is granted, the child generally has to lodge Form 1002 to be added to the parent's permanent Partner visa application before that application is decided, and the departmental form warns that failing to do so may, depending on the circumstances, leave the child without any other permanent visa option and, in some cases, unlawful. The child must be sponsored by the same person who sponsored or nominated the parent's Partner visa, and that sponsorship must be approved before the visa can be granted. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Common refusal reasons and review at the Tribunal

Applications of this type are commonly refused when a core requirement is not established on the evidence. Typical factual grounds include the family relationship or the child's dependency not being demonstrated, the child being married or in a de facto relationship (which is inconsistent with being a dependent child), sponsorship or required consents not being in place, or the health or character requirements not being met. Timing can also be decisive. Because the visa can only be granted while the parent's permanent Partner visa is still undecided, a decision on, or withdrawal of, that parent application can remove the basis for the grant. If a decision is unfavourable, merits review may be available at the Administrative Review Tribunal. Merits review means the Tribunal takes a fresh look at the facts, law and policy and can affirm, vary or set aside the decision. The Department's decision letter states whether the decision is reviewable and who may apply. Strict time limits apply to lodging a review, and the exact deadline depends on the decision and the applicant's circumstances; the decision letter sets out the applicable period. An application fee generally applies and is generally paid before the review deadline; a reduced fee may be available in cases of financial hardship, and part of the fee may be refunded depending on the outcome. The availability, time limits and fees for review are set by law and by the Tribunal. This is a neutral description of how the process works, not a prediction about any particular case. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Costs and charges

The main government cost is the Visa Application Charge set by the Department of Home Affairs. The base charge, and the additional applicant charges for people aged 18 and over and for those under 18, are published on the Department's current visa pricing page and change from time to time, so the current figures should always be confirmed there rather than assumed. These government charges are entirely separate from any fee charged by an agent, lawyer or online service. An additional applicant charge is generally payable for each extra person included in a combined application beyond the main applicant, at the rate set for their age bracket. As a general rule, where a base charge is nil the additional applicant charge is also nil. Some visas carry a second instalment of the Visa Application Charge that falls due later in the process and is paid through ImmiAccount; whether a second instalment applies is shown in the pricing information and the Department's correspondence. A subsequent-entrant or subsequent-application charge can also apply where a person is added after lodgement. Visa Application Charges are generally non-refundable, including where an application is refused or withdrawn, so applicants are generally encouraged to check eligibility carefully before paying. A payment surcharge (for example, a percentage added for card payments) can apply on top of the charge depending on the payment method used. There are also costs not paid to the Department as part of the Visa Application Charge, for example health examinations, police or character certificates, biometrics, and translating documents into English. (A skills assessment, which is a cost for some skilled visas, is not part of this family-stream child visa.) Applicants are generally advised to budget for these separately and to keep the government Visa Application Charge clearly distinct from any service or platform fee. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.