Can a Subclass 445 Dependent Child Holder Get PR Through Subclass 100 in 2026?
Explains how a Dependent Child (subclass 445) holder can be assessed for the permanent Partner (subclass 100) visa, and which conditions apply.
Yes. A Dependent Child (subclass 445) visa holder is one of only two visas the Department of Home Affairs lists as the visa you must hold to be assessed for the permanent Partner (Migrant) visa (subclass 100); the other is the Partner (Provisional) visa (subclass 309). According to the Department of Home Affairs Partner (Migrant) visa (Subclass 100) official page, as at October 2026, holding a subclass 445 visa satisfies that first criterion, so the dependent child route is a recognised entry point into permanent assessment rather than a workaround.
For families planning a child's permanent residence, the practical question is not whether the door exists but what has to be true when the Department assesses the case.
What must a subclass 445 holder show to be assessed for the subclass 100?
The eligibility list on the official page is short and applies to every applicant, regardless of whether they arrived through subclass 309 or subclass 445. You must hold one of those two visas, you must continue to meet the relationship requirements, you and the members of your family unit must meet the health requirement, and neither you nor your family members may owe the Australian Government money.
The subclass 445 visa itself is not described on this page beyond being named and linked, so its own grant criteria are outside what this article can state. What the page does establish is the consequence of holding it: it puts you inside the assessment pathway for the permanent visa.
How long before the permanent visa can be granted?
Two years must have passed since you applied for the subclass 309 and 100 visas before you can be assessed for the permanent subclass 100 visa. The Department says you can check the date you submitted your application in ImmiAccount. The page anchors this clock to the application date, not to the grant of any visa, and it does not describe a separate or shorter clock for subclass 445 holders.
There are two situations in which the permanent visa might be granted in less than two years:
- you were in a long-term partner relationship with your sponsor when you applied for the subclass 309 and 100 visas
- your sponsor is, or was, the holder of a permanent humanitarian visa and, before that permanent visa was granted, was in a married or de facto relationship with you, and you had informed the Department about the relationship before that permanent visa was granted
Does the relationship still have to be ongoing?
The page requires you to continue to be the spouse or de facto partner of the same person who sponsored you for the temporary Partner visa, and the process summary repeats this as continuing in a genuine and ongoing relationship in most cases. That test is written in terms of the applicant and the sponsor; the page does not set out a separate relationship test for a subclass 445 holder.
It also makes room for harder situations. You might still be eligible if your relationship ends or your partner dies before the permanent visa is granted, and the family violence provisions may allow the visa to be granted where an applicant is experiencing domestic and family violence.
Which other criteria can decide a child's case?
Three conditions on the page carry particular weight where the applicant is a child.
Health. You and any members of the family unit, including dependent children who apply for the visa with you, must continue to meet the health requirement. Family members who are not coming to Australia might also need to meet it. If you had health examinations for your subclass 309 visa, the Department will tell you whether they need to be repeated or whether more checks are needed.
Debts to the Australian Government. If you or any family members owe the Australian Government money, it must be paid back or arrangements made to pay it back, including for family members who do not travel with you.
Best interests of the child. The Department might not grant this visa if it is not in the best interests of an applicant under 18. This is a distinct refusal ground, separate from health and character-style criteria, and it is one of the few places where the subclass 100 criteria speak directly to a child applicant rather than to the partner.
What does the subclass 100 actually give a former 445 holder?
It is a permanent visa. Beyond what a subclass 309 allows, holders can live, work and study in Australia indefinitely, sponsor eligible family members to come to Australia, and apply for Australian citizenship if eligible.
What this article cannot tell you
The Department's subclass 100 page does not publish processing times, application charges, grant rates or any quota figures, so none are given here. It does not set out how a subclass 445 visa is granted, how a child is included in a partner application, or what evidence is required at assessment. Those details sit on other Department pages and in the Migration Regulations 1994, and any rule that turns on the current published criteria should be confirmed against the Department's latest published information. This article is general information about how the published criteria work and is not personalised advice for a particular family's circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a subclass 445 holder be assessed for the subclass 100 without ever holding a subclass 309?
Yes. The eligibility criterion is stated as holding either a subclass 309 or a subclass 445 visa, so the subclass 445 visa is an alternative rather than an addition. The two-year assessment period, however, is still measured from the date you applied for the subclass 309 and 100 visas.
When does the two-year period start?
It starts from the date you applied for the subclass 309 and 100 visas, not from the date any visa was granted. The Department says you can confirm that submission date in ImmiAccount.
Can the permanent visa be granted earlier than two years?
It might be, in two cases: where you were in a long-term partner relationship with your sponsor when you applied, or where your sponsor holds or held a permanent humanitarian visa and was in a married or de facto relationship with you beforehand, which you had disclosed before that visa was granted.
Does a dependent child applicant still need to meet the health requirement?
Yes. The applicant and any members of the family unit, including dependent children applying with them, must continue to meet the health requirement, and family members who are not travelling to Australia might also need to meet it.
Can the visa be refused even if every other criterion is met?
Yes. The Department states it might not grant the visa if granting it would not be in the best interests of an applicant under 18. Unpaid debts to the Australian Government, owed by the applicant or by family members, are also a criterion that must be resolved.
What if the sponsoring relationship ends or the sponsor dies before the grant?
The Department says you might still be eligible for the permanent visa if your relationship ends or your partner dies before it is granted. Applicants experiencing domestic and family violence may also remain eligible under the family violence provisions.