Who can I include as family on my Subclass 124 application in 2026?
Who can join your Distinguished Talent visa (Subclass 124) application as family, what each person must show, and how to add them later.
You can include members of the family unit — your partner and dependent children — on a Distinguished Talent visa (Subclass 124) application, and you can keep adding eligible family members at any time before the Department makes its decision; if you are under 18 yourself, you can instead include a parent and members of that parent's family unit. This reflects the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Distinguished Talent visa (Subclass 124) page. The same page also records that the visa is closed to new applications, so the rules below matter mainly for applications already lodged and for working out whether an existing Subclass 124 grant covers your household. What follows is general information about how the rules are framed rather than advice on your own circumstances — individual cases turn on evidence, so rely on the official page as currently published or take professional advice before acting.
Who counts as a member of the family unit?
The family unit recognised for this visa is built around two relationships: your partner (married or de facto) and dependent children. Each person included in that group who is granted the visa becomes a permanent resident on the day the visa is granted, rather than later.
The structure changes slightly where the main applicant is a child. If you are under 18 when you apply, the people you include can be a parent and members of that parent's family unit — which is how siblings and other family attached to that parent can come within the same application.
Membership also has consequences beyond the application itself. A person who is part of your family unit can affect whether the application as a whole succeeds, including through the health and character tests discussed below, and through any debt owed to the Australian government.
Can my partner be included, and what proves the relationship?
Your partner can be included whether you are married or in a de facto relationship, but each status is evidenced differently.
- Married: provide the marriage certificate.
- De facto: provide either evidence that the relationship is registered with an Australian State or Territory, or enough documents to show you have been in a de facto relationship for at least the 12 months before you apply. The page also asks you to declare other relationships where relevant.
- Both cases: provide evidence that the relationship is genuine and continuing — for example joint bank account statements, billing accounts in joint names, joint leases or mortgages, and documents showing your partner has lived at the same address as you.
Every partner is also asked for identity documents and photographs, and character documents. From a practical standpoint, the relationship evidence and the identity material are assessed together: a marriage certificate establishes status, while the shared-finances documents are what substantiate that the relationship is ongoing.
Which children can be included, and what happens if their age changes while you wait?
Age alone does not decide eligibility for a child; dependency does, and the older the child the more proof the Department asks for. The groupings below are how the official page frames them.
| Child's situation | What must be shown | Supporting material |
|---|---|---|
| Under 18 at the time of application | Parentage | Birth certificate or family book showing the names of both parents; adoption papers where applicable |
| Turning 18 while the application is being processed | Dependency on you | Dependency evidence; a child who turns 18 and is not dependent cannot satisfy the criteria |
| Over 18 and not yet 23 | Dependency on you or your partner, including financial dependence for at least the 12 months before you apply | Form 47a (Details of a child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over), identity documents, character documents, documents about other relationships |
| 23 or older, or turning 23 during processing | Inability to earn a living due to physical or cognitive limitations, plus dependency on you or your partner | Form 47a plus a report from a qualified medical practitioner stating dependence due to the total or partial loss of bodily or mental functions |
Financial dependency for adult children is evidenced in ordinary terms: proof that the person lives with you, their tax records, proof that they are currently studying, and proof of payments you made to them or on their behalf. The 12-month window runs backwards from the date you apply, so the documents have to cover that period rather than starting from lodgement.
The "turning 18" and "turning 23" points are the ones that most often surprise applicants. A dependent child does not slip through simply because they were eligible on the day the papers were lodged — if they cross an age threshold mid-processing, the dependency evidence for the older category has to exist, or that person cannot satisfy the criteria for the visa.
Do I need consent for a child under 18?
Yes, consent operates separately from parentage. Anyone who has a legal right to decide where the child lives, and who is not coming to Australia with the child, has to give consent. That is done either on Form 1229 (Consent form to grant an Australian visa to a child under the age of 18 years) or by a statutory declaration giving consent for the child to migrate on this visa.
Instead of consent, you can rely on an Australian court order that allows the child to migrate to Australia, or on showing that the laws of your home country allow it. Whichever route applies, include an identity document showing the signature and photo of the person who completed the form or declaration — such as a passport or driver's licence — along with adoption papers or other court documents where applicable.
Can I add someone after I lodge?
Yes. You can add members of the family unit after lodgement but before the decision, using Form 1436 (Adding an additional applicant after lodgement), attached to the ImmiAccount for the application or sent to the address the application went to. Where the main applicant is under 18, that later addition can again extend to a parent and members of that parent's family unit.
Lodgement is not the cut-off for accuracy either. The Department expects to be told about changes between lodgement and decision — including a new phone number, email, address or passport, a change in marital or de facto status, and the birth of a child. Adding someone through Form 1436 and notifying a change in circumstances are two separate obligations, and doing one does not discharge the other.
What must each included person satisfy in their own right?
Including someone is not simply a matter of listing them. Each family member carries their own tests:
- Health: family members applying for the visa with you must meet the health requirement, and family members not accompanying you to Australia may also need to meet it.
- Character: you and family members aged 16 and over who apply with you must meet the character requirement; family members who are not accompanying you must meet it as well.
- Debt to the Australian government: any debt owed by you or by family members — including those who do not apply for the visa with you — must have been repaid or arrangements made to repay it.
- Australian values: applicants aged 18 or over must have read, or had explained to them, the Life in Australia booklet and sign an Australian Values Statement.
The practical reading is asymmetric: staying behind does not remove a relative from scope. A family member who never travels to Australia can still affect the outcome through character and health, and through the debt test.
What does it cost to include family?
There is an additional charge for each family member who applies for the visa with you. To work out what the visa will cost, the Department directs applicants to the Visa pricing estimator, which does not account for the second instalment or other costs.
Those additional costs matter most for larger families:
- Applicants aged 18 or over who cannot show at least functional English attract a second instalment of the visa application charge, set at AUD 4,890 per person. The Department tells you when to pay it, sends the invoice, and asks that you not request the invoice yourself.
- Where you or a family member has less than functional English, you are asked to provide a statement indicating your intention to pay the second instalment for each such person.
- Health checks, police certificates and biometrics may add further costs.
- If the application is refused, the application charge is not refunded.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Subclass 124 still open to new applications?
The Department's own page for this visa states that it is closed to new applications, so there is no live intake to add family to. The family unit rules still determine who can be added to an application already lodged and awaiting decision.
Can I add my partner after I apply rather than at lodgement?
Yes. You can add members of the family unit at any time before the decision, using Form 1436, which is attached in ImmiAccount or sent to the office handling the application. The partner still has to meet the relationship, identity, character and English-related requirements.
My child turns 18 while we wait — do they drop off the application?
Not automatically, but you will need to provide evidence that they are dependent on you. If they turn 18 during processing and are not dependent on you, they cannot satisfy the criteria for this visa.
What if my adult child is already 23?
They can be included only if they cannot earn a living to support themselves due to physical or cognitive limitations and are dependent on you or your partner. That requires Form 47a plus a report from a qualified medical practitioner, and evidence of at least 12 months of financial dependency before you apply.
Does a family member who is not travelling to Australia matter?
Yes. Family members not accompanying you must meet the character requirement and may also need to meet the health requirement, and any debt they owe the Australian government must be repaid or arrangements made to repay it.
Do we all pay the second instalment?
It applies per person, not per application: any applicant aged 18 or over who cannot evidence at least functional English attracts a charge of AUD 4,890, paid when the Department issues the invoice.