870 visa and family members in 2026: why there are no secondary applicants
Explains why the 870 visa has no secondary applicant criteria and what that means for partners, children and other relatives.
No — a spouse, partner, child or any other relative cannot be added to a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) application. As at the October 2026 version of the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) official page, the position is stated in one line: "You cannot include family members in your visa application."
The reason is structural rather than procedural. Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994 records secondary criteria for Subclass 870 as "Nil". There is no provision under which one person's grant can carry another person with it, so every person who wants this visa must satisfy the entire set of primary criteria in their own right.
What does "no secondary criteria" actually mean?
Most visa subclasses in Schedule 2 carry two tiers of criteria. Primary criteria apply to the main applicant; secondary criteria apply to people who join that application as members of the family unit — typically a spouse or de facto partner and dependent children. Meeting the secondary criteria lets those people be granted the same visa on the strength of their relationship to the main applicant.
Subclass 870 has no second tier at all. The criteria list runs from the sponsorship requirement to the special return criteria with nothing in between for family members. The practical consequences follow directly from that gap:
- Nobody can be listed as a secondary applicant on an 870 form.
- No derivative grant is possible, so no family member receives the visa by association.
- Each person's case is a standalone application, assessed against the primary criteria, with its own decision.
This is also why the question "can family be included?" has the same answer regardless of relationship type. Partner, dependent child, adult child, sibling, grandchild — the subclass simply has no mechanism to attach them.
Why can't the primary criteria be shared?
The primary criteria for Subclass 870 are personal to the applicant. As recorded in Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994, they include being sponsored by an approved parent sponsor (clause 870.221), having sufficient funds for the stay (870.222), having adequate arrangements for health insurance (870.224), genuinely intending to stay temporarily (870.226), having no outstanding public health debt unless repaid or arranged (870.227), and meeting the public interest and special return criteria (870.228 and 870.229). Repeat applicants who held an 870 visa also face the 90-day rule in clause 870.223.
None of those requirements transfers from one person to another. An approved parent sponsor sponsors a parent, funds are assessed against the individual applicant's own resources, health cover is arranged for that person, and the genuine temporary stay intention is assessed on that person's circumstances.
The visa's design reinforces this. It is temporary, capped at 3 or 5 years per grant with a cumulative maximum of 10 years across all 870 visas held, and it does not lead to permanent residence. A framework built around a single temporary entrant with personal sponsorship, personal funds and personal health cover has no natural place for a family unit.
Can one sponsorship still cover both parents?
Yes — but sponsorship is not the same as inclusion on an application. The Department's official page sets the sponsorship limits: a sponsor's household is limited to one sponsorship at a time, and a sponsorship can cover up to two parents per household at a time. A sponsor cannot lodge a new sponsorship application until the current approved sponsorship ends.
So a sponsor may cover, for example, both their mother and their father under one approved sponsorship. Each parent still lodges a separate visa application, pays their own charges, arranges their own health insurance, and receives their own grant and own visa period. One sponsorship, two applications, two decisions.
Sponsorship approval is also a separate step from the visa application. The approved sponsorship must be in place before the visa application is lodged.
What happens to partners, children and other relatives?
They need a visa in their own right. Because the two-parent cap in the sponsorship rules is expressed as parents per household, a relative who is not a parent of the sponsor — such as a child of the 870 applicant who is not the sponsor, or a partner of the applicant who is not the sponsor's other parent — sits outside what the sponsorship can cover, and outside the subclass entirely.
Those relatives would have to look at whatever visa categories their own circumstances fit — separate temporary or permanent options with their own criteria, their own charges and their own evidence. This article is general information about how the 870 rules are structured; it is not advice on your circumstances, and current requirements should be confirmed against the Department's latest published material or with personalised professional advice.
One interaction matters for planning. The Department's official page states that this visa does not lead to permanent residence and that you cannot apply for a permanent or temporary parent visa when you have applied for or hold this visa. A family that wants a long-term outcome for more than the parents cannot route that through an 870 application.
What if a baby is born during the visa?
Policy guidance for this subclass states that a child born while the parent holds an 870 visa cannot be added to that visa, because there is no secondary applicant mechanism and a newborn cannot satisfy the sponsorship requirement. On that guidance, the child would need to be granted another visa — a visitor visa is given as the example — in order to remain in Australia lawfully.
The parent's own visa is unaffected by the birth: it still ends on the date specified in the grant letter, on cancellation, or if the sponsorship is withdrawn or cancelled and no new sponsor is found. Treat this point as guidance rather than legislation and check the Department's current published position before relying on it.
How should a family sequence the applications?
- Have the sponsor apply for sponsorship approval first.
- Confirm how many parents the sponsorship will cover, up to the two-parent cap.
- Lodge one 870 application for each parent.
- Prepare funds, health insurance and character documents for each applicant separately.
- Check each applicant's location at lodgement — applications must be made outside Australia unless Permission to Apply in Australia has been granted, and not while in immigration clearance.
- Track the cumulative 10-year ceiling and, for repeat applicants, the 90 consecutive days outside Australia rule.
- Plan any other relatives on separate visa pathways from the start.
What this means for cost and documents
Because no one can be added to another person's application, each application carries its own visa application charge, paid in two instalments — the first when applying and the second when the Department asks for it. The official page notes that concessions apply in limited circumstances, and that other costs can arise for health checks, police certificates and biometrics. It directs applicants to the Visa Pricing Estimator for an indication of cost, and notes that the estimator does not account for the second instalment or other costs.
From 1 July 2026, a lower visa application charge applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application, and the official page states that this is assessed by reference to the passport of the applicant who satisfies the primary visa criteria. That pricing rule does not create a family-member pathway within the subclass.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my spouse or de facto partner be included on my 870 application?
No. Subclass 870 records secondary criteria as "Nil" in Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994, and the Department's official page states you cannot include family members in your application. Your partner would need to qualify for a visa in their own right.
Can one sponsorship cover both my parents?
Yes, up to a point. A sponsor's sponsorship can cover up to two parents per household at a time, and the household is limited to one sponsorship at a time. Each parent still lodges a separate application and receives a separate grant, and the sponsor cannot lodge a new sponsorship until the current one ends.
Can I add my dependent child to my 870 visa?
No. There are no secondary applicant criteria for this subclass, so a dependent child cannot be granted the visa through your application. The sponsorship framework is also built around sponsoring parents, not around accompanying children.
What happens if a baby is born in Australia while the parent holds an 870 visa?
Policy guidance for the subclass states the baby cannot be added to the parent's visa and would need another visa, such as a visitor visa, to remain lawfully. The parent's own visa continues to run to its specified end date. Confirm the current position against the Department's latest published guidance.
Can I apply for a permanent parent visa while I hold an 870 visa?
No. The Department's official page states that this visa does not lead to permanent residence and that you cannot apply for a permanent or temporary parent visa when you have applied for or hold an 870 visa. Applications for a further 870 visa must also be lodged from outside Australia unless Permission to Apply has been granted.
Do family members benefit from the lower charge for Pacific Island and Timor-Leste applicants?
Yes. The Department's official page states that family members are also eligible for the lower VAC, and that this is based on the passport of the primary applicant or visa holder who satisfies the primary visa criteria. This affects the charge payable on an application; it does not create a secondary applicant category or allow a family member to join an 870 application.
Can a relative join the 870 holder later by extending the visa?
No. The official page states you cannot stay longer by extending this visa; a further stay requires a new visa grant. A relative cannot be added at that point either, because the subclass has no secondary applicant criteria at any stage.