Who Can You Include in a Subclass 836 Carer Visa Application in 2026?
Which family members you can include in a Subclass 836 Carer visa application, and what each of them must show.
Yes — you can include members of the family unit in your Carer visa (Subclass 836) application when you apply. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs Carer visa (Subclass 836) official page, as at the July 2026 official page, family members who apply with you must meet the health and character requirements, and an extra charge applies for each family member included in the application. This article is general information only rather than advice on any one person's circumstances, so check the official page or get professional advice before you rely on it.
Who counts as part of the family unit on this visa?
The official page uses the expression "members of the family unit" without setting out one consolidated definition, so the practical answer comes from the documents it asks you to lodge. The step-by-step document checklist is organised around three groups: your partner, dependants under 18, and dependants over 18.
The criteria in the Migration Regulations 1994 for this subclass also require a secondary applicant to be a member of the family unit of the person who meets the primary criteria, both when the application is made and when it is decided; figures and current wording should be confirmed against the official page.
Can you include your partner, married or de facto?
Yes. For a partner, the official page requires identity documents, character documents, and documents about former relationships where applicable. On top of that, you must provide either your current marriage certificate, or proof that you have been in a de facto relationship with your partner for at least 12 months before you apply, except in limited circumstances.
Documents that can prove a de facto relationship include:
- joint bank account statements
- billing accounts in joint names
- joint leases or mortgages
- documents showing your partner lives or has lived at the same address as you
The Migration Regulations 1994 criteria also allow a person to remain a secondary applicant in certain family violence situations where the relationship has ended. On the official page, family violence provisions and changes to marital or de facto status both appear among the things you must tell the Department about after you apply.
Which dependent children under 18 can be listed?
For every dependent under 18 applying with you, the official page requires identity documents, proof of your relationship with them such as a birth or marriage certificate, and character documents if applicable. The Department also states that it might not grant this visa if it is not in the best interests of an applicant under 18.
Can a child over 18 still be included?
Yes, but only on one of the two bases set out on the official page. To include a child who is over 18, they must be:
- over 18 years of age but not yet turned 23, and dependent on you or your partner, or
- over 23 years of age and unable to earn a living to support themselves due to physical or cognitive limitations, and dependent on you or your partner.
For these applicants you provide identity documents, documents about their other relationships if applicable, and character documents.
What if your child turns 23 while the application is being processed?
The official page addresses this directly: if your child is likely to turn 23 while your application is being processed, you will need to provide evidence that they are dependent on you due to disability. Once the age threshold is crossed, the second of the two categories above is the one that has to be evidenced, and the evidence goes to dependence arising from disability rather than dependence alone.
Does everyone included have to meet health and character requirements?
Yes. The Department states that you and any family members who apply with you must meet the health requirement. On character, you and family members aged 16 years and over who apply with you must meet the character requirement, and the Department might also ask other family members to meet it.
There is also a debt condition: if you or any family member owes the Australian Government money, it must have been paid back or be covered by a formal arrangement to pay it back.
What documents does each person included have to provide?
Identity documents are required for each person, and the consequence of not being able to prove identity is severe. The Department states it will refuse the visa application, might not grant you another visa for 10 years, and might not grant any family members you listed on your application a visa for 10 years.
Two further requirements run across the application:
- 4 recent photographs (45mm x 35mm) of anyone included, less than 6 months old, good quality colour, showing the full face against a plain light-coloured background
- character documents, which include Australian and overseas police certificates where the person has spent a total of 12 months or more in a country in the last 10 years since turning 16 — required for partners and for dependants over 18, and for dependants under 18 if applicable
What does it cost to include family members?
The official page states there is an extra charge for each family member who applies with you, and that the visa is paid in two instalments: the first when you apply, the second when the Department asks for it. For cost figures, the page refers applicants to the Visa Pricing Estimator, which does not take the second instalment or other costs such as health checks, police certificates and biometrics into account.
One point matters for family members specifically: the Department says it will not reduce the second instalment for anyone applying for the visa with you. A reduction to nil may be considered only where paying it would cause the main applicant, or the person they are caring for, severe financial hardship.
From 1 July 2026, a lower visa application cost also applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application. Family members are eligible for the lower cost too, and eligibility is based on the passport of the primary applicant who satisfies the primary visa criteria.
What if your family changes while the application is being processed?
The official page requires you to notify changes including the birth of a child and changes to your marital or de facto status, and it directs applicants who did not include all necessary documents when they applied to provide them as soon as they can. The page does not describe a separate mechanism for adding family members after lodgement, which points to the family unit being assessed at the time you apply; confirm current practice on the official page.
The application itself is a paper application made on Form 47OF and sent to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, and the Department states you must be in Australia, and not in immigration clearance, when the application is submitted and when it is decided.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I include my partner if we are not married?
Yes. The official page accepts proof that you have been in a de facto relationship with your partner for at least 12 months before you apply, except in limited circumstances. Joint bank account statements, joint billing accounts, joint leases or mortgages and documents showing a shared address are all listed as possible proof.
Can my 20-year-old child be included?
Yes, if they are over 18 but not yet 23 and dependent on you or your partner. You provide identity documents, documents about their other relationships if applicable, and character documents.
Can my 25-year-old child be included?
Only if they are over 23 and unable to earn a living to support themselves due to physical or cognitive limitations, and dependent on you or your partner. Age alone is not enough at this threshold — the limitation and the dependence both have to be shown.
My child turns 23 next year — what should I prepare?
The official page says that if your child is likely to turn 23 while the application is being processed, you need to provide evidence they are dependent on you due to disability. Preparing that evidence early avoids the application resting on a category your child will have aged out of.
Will the second instalment be waived for my family members?
No. The Department states it will not reduce the second instalment for anyone applying for the visa with you. A reduction to nil is considered only for the main applicant, and only where paying it would cause severe financial hardship to them or the person they are caring for.
Do included family members get permanent residence too?
Subclass 836 is a permanent visa, and family members listed in your application are included in that application rather than in a separate one. The travel facility described on the official page runs for 5 years from the date the visa is granted, after which a Resident Return visa is needed to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.