Subclass 190 Dependants Over 18 in 2026: Age 18-23 and Disability Dependency
How the subclass 190 rules treat children over 18: financial dependency up to 23, the disability limb from 23, and the forms and evidence required.
A child over 18 can be included in a Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) application, but only through one of two narrow gates. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) official page, checked as of the July 2026 official page, the child must be over 18 and not yet turned 23 and dependent on you or your partner, or over 23 and unable to earn a living to support themselves because of physical or cognitive limitations and dependent on you or your partner. Which gate applies decides what evidence you need, so that is where any decision about an adult child has to start. This article describes published criteria only and is general information rather than personalised advice; your own mix of ages, dates and medical evidence should be confirmed against the current official requirements or with a registered migration agent or legal practitioner.
Which dependency test applies to my child?
The published rule splits at the 23rd birthday, and the basis of dependency is different on each side of it.
| Under-23 limb | 23-and-over limb | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | Over 18 and not yet turned 23 | Over 23 |
| Basis of dependency | Dependent on you or your partner | Unable to earn a living to support themselves due to physical or cognitive limitations, and dependent on you or your partner |
| Extra evidence | Proof of financial dependency | Proof of financial dependency plus a report from a qualified medical practitioner |
Note the boundary: the medical report is required where the child "is aged 23 or is likely to turn 23 while your application is being processed", so a child sitting at 22 years and 10 months at lodgement is already being assessed on the disability limb, not the age limb.
What counts as proof of financial dependency?
The Department's page names three examples of financial dependency evidence: bank statements, money transfers and rent receipts. It presents them as examples rather than a fixed formula, and it does not publish a threshold amount or a minimum period of support on that page, so the practical task is showing a continuing pattern of reliance rather than hitting a stated figure.
Those documents sit alongside proof of the relationship itself — a birth certificate or adoption papers — and a completed Form 47a, formally titled "Form 47a Details of a child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over". Identity documents are also required, as are documents about the child's other relationships where those are relevant.
What has to be in the medical report?
For a child aged 23, or one likely to turn 23 during processing, the page requires a report from a qualified medical practitioner stating that the child is dependent on you or your partner because of the total or partial loss of their bodily or mental functions. The link the Department draws is therefore specific: the disability must be what prevents self-support, and the dependency must follow from it.
The page does not describe a required format, template or issuing specialty for that report beyond the reference to a qualified medical practitioner, so what counts as sufficient is judged on the evidence supplied against that wording.
What if my child crosses a birthday while the application is pending?
This is the part that catches families out, because the Department assesses dependency at more than one moment.
- Turning 18 during processing. For a child who was under 18 at lodgement but is likely to turn 18 while the application is being processed, the page says you will need to provide evidence they are dependent on you. A child who turns 18 during processing and is not dependent on you cannot satisfy the criteria for this visa.
- Turning 23 during processing. A child in this position needs evidence of dependency due to disability, as described above. A child who turns 23 during processing and does not meet those requirements cannot satisfy the criteria for this visa.
Because an invitation gives you 60 calendar days to apply and the Department states it cannot extend that period, the age at which a child sits on the day you lodge is largely fixed by your invitation date rather than something you can wait out.
Which documents does the over-18 dependant need in total?
Putting the page's lists together, an adult child included in a 190 application needs:
- identity documents
- documents about their other relationships, if applicable
- proof of your relationship with them, such as a birth certificate or adoption papers
- a completed Form 47a
- proof of financial dependency, such as bank statements, money transfers and rent receipts
- a report from a qualified medical practitioner, where the child is aged 23 or likely to turn 23 while the application is being processed
Can I add my adult child after lodging the application?
Members of the family unit can be added after you apply but before a decision is made. The mechanism is Form 1436, "Adding an additional applicant after lodgement": the form is paid for using ImmiAccount, then attached with the supporting documents to your ImmiAccount.
Adding a family member does not relax any criteria. Family members who apply for the visa must meet the health and character requirements; whether an adult child is a member of the family unit who can be added at that stage, and how the over-18 dependency tests apply to them, is not set out on this page and should be checked against the current official requirements.
What if my adult child meets neither limb?
The page is blunt about this: a child who turns 23 while the application is being processed and does not meet the requirements cannot satisfy the criteria for this visa, and the same wording is used for a child who turns 18 during processing and is not dependent. The 190 page does not set out any alternative basis for including such a child, and whether some other arrangement exists sits outside the published criteria for this subclass — that is a question to take to current official information rather than to assume from this page.
Frequently asked questions
Does my 22-year-old have to be a full-time student to be included?
The published test is dependency on you or your partner, not enrolment in study. The page does not list student status as a requirement, and it also does not present it as a substitute for dependency.
What is Form 47a?
It is "Form 47a Details of a child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over", and a completed copy is required for every over-18 child you include. It sits alongside the relationship and financial dependency documents rather than replacing them.
My child has a part-time job. Does that end their dependency?
The page asks for proof of financial dependency and gives bank statements, money transfers and rent receipts as the evidence it will accept. It does not set out a rule about how much a dependent child may earn, so the question is answered on the dependency evidence as a whole.
Who can write the medical report?
The page requires a report from a qualified medical practitioner. The report must state that the child is dependent on you or your partner due to the total or partial loss of their bodily or mental functions.
My child turns 23 next month and my application is already in. What happens?
You will need to provide evidence that they are dependent on you because of disability, including the medical report described above. If they turn 23 during processing and do not meet those requirements, they cannot satisfy the criteria for this visa.
Can I add an adult child later if I did not include them at lodgement?
The 190 page says members of the family unit can be added after you apply but before a decision is made, using Form 1436 and paying through ImmiAccount with the supporting documents attached, and that those family members must meet the health and character requirements; it does not say whether an adult dependent child may be added on that basis, so that point should be confirmed against the current official requirements before relying on it.